Preparing for Peace – From Savasana to Your Life

Once we recognize how much control our minds and thoughts have over our entire existence, we can begin to work toward finding inner peace.
 
Savasana is a resting pose. It is the final pose of the physical practice of yoga– sealing in the work that was done linking the body to the mind and maybe even the mind to the soul.
 
In savasana we lay still and focus on meditation. We try our best to place our attention on the breath instead of on wandering thoughts.
 
It is our opportunity to detach from anything that is plaguing us or occupying our thinking. It is our chance to let it go. And it is hard! I am constantly chasing my thoughts and reigning them back in to focus on the breath. But when I do it successfully, even if for a few seconds, I feel peace.

Our minds steer the ship.

They attach meaning and feeling to every single thing we experience. The joy and pain we face in this life is less about what happens to us, and more about our perception of what happens to us.
 
We live in a reality that exists in our heads, compiled with a lifetime of associations and automatic thought patterns. Each time we experience something, we file it away as either meeting or not meeting the pre-existing framework we have designed for the world. We do not even realize we are doing it.
 
Imagine if we could break those thinking patterns. Imagine if you could catch yourself thinking in an unhealthy way and change it or remove it. Would you even know where to start?
 

 
So we end our physical practice of yoga by attempting to clear our minds. When we try this, I mean really devote energy to it, we start to realize the typical thoughts that creep in and disrupt our inner peace. Those thoughts are incredibly personal in nature, but potentially universal in theme.
 
That is where you start. Notice what those thoughts are and how they impact your emotions and take that realization with you through the rest of the day. Pay attention to what is bringing you down and what is lifting you up. Can you detach from those thoughts and re-center yourself?
 
Our thoughts become things. They have a direct impact on our emotions, which quickly influences our behavior. If we can catch our thoughts — if we can learn to either fill our minds with positivity or clear them completely, we can begin to work toward finding inner peace.
 
Practice this enough and find that you don’t need to look for a sanctuary in anything but yourself. You hold the key to your own happiness. You can be your own best friend. You might learn to greatly enjoy your own company.
 
Happiness comes from within. It is energized by the things we tell ourselves on a daily basis. So be kind to yourself and be kind in your thoughts about others and about the world. Notice when those thoughts are changing, and let them go. There is no room for them in your happy heart.
 
This is a profound goal to work toward, and one that doesn’t come easily. Be patient as you lay in your resting pose. Forgive yourself when your thoughts run astray. Place no judgment on where they wander to. Simply observe, become aware of how they are impacting you, and come back to the breath. With time, it will become easier.

Namaste.