Who is the Guardian of Your Inner Peace?

I ‘ve recently been reflecting on a phrase that came to me during a time of stress and of empty mind; either while washing dishes, walking, or perhaps  looking at the sky, I honestly can’t remember.  I heard an inner voice say ” Who is the guardian of your inner peace?
During moments of challenging emotions I began to practice a few things that I thought I’d share with you since then to bring me more awareness of the present , returning to safety and calm and to getting to know this “guardian” more closely.

1. I began to notice my breath was either shallow or I wasn’t even breathing at times. This pattern linked me to anxiety and an ungrounded feeling. As I have made it a practice to watch my breath and breathe more deeply, I feel a sense of peace and calm. I do this at least a few times  a day to check in with myself.

2. I’ve made a daily practice of chanting and prayer. Morning and night I take fiteen minutes or whatever time I need to use my voice for chanting and to engage in prayer.  This sense of conecting with the greater part of myself ( outside the personality), my spirit, my soul, whatever you want to call it  brings me a sense of peace .

3. I’ve purposefully focused on eating more protein to feel more grounded and steady. This practical step has alleviated any hints of depression creeping in during these short dark days.

4. Meditating for at least a minute if that’s all the time I have has been beneficial. I have let go of any notions of how much time it needs to take and I just sit whenever I can to engage in meditation.

In these simple ways I am beginning to empower the part of myself that is the “guardian” of my inner peace. (Oh, and shortening screen time has been hepful as well!)

How about you? What do you do?

As the dark of winter is upon us and the light of the holidays anear, I invite you to reflect  and look forward to how you can best protect your peace. As peace in it’s goodness does spread!
Let’s not forget that simple truth.

with fierce love,

Gedalia