Tranquility

Perhaps I'm still feeling the afterglow of a recent Restorative Intensive workshop, but I was inspired to talk about tranquility this week. As I shared the theme with different classes many people gave wry smiles and "ahhhs", so I guess I'm not alone in seeking more peace. Tranquility is a state of being which is calm; an inner sense of peacefulness. In reading about tranquility, I came across a study where city dwellers were taken to the countryside and lo and behold what happened? Well, to nobody's surprise they felt more tranquil. Simply by shifting their external environment, their stress levels lowered. All of that is lovely and not surprising, but what happened when they went back to the city?

One of the beautiful effects of getting onto our yoga mat or plopping ourselves down on our meditation cushion is that instead of simply shifting our physical and external environment, we begin to create changes in our internal environment. Yoga and meditation teach us to pay attention to the present moment, to sit with what is happening without feeling as though we need to push it away or change it. We learn to respond rather than to react to situations and in the process become more conscious in general.

Eckhart Tolle speaks about fully experiencing the state of stillness and in doing so, we transcend our identification with our egoic minds and life roles, as well as our belief that our thoughts are real. When we know stillness, we connect to the vast field of consciousness and the discovery of "I Am", our true selves. It's in this space of inner peacefulness that we recognize we are simply microcosms of the macro-cosmic universal energy.

When I sit quietly and ask myself, "Where in my body does peacefulness reside?" my answer comes to a space somewhere between my heart and throat. It's a pulse of energy that seems to be part physical and part of my external energetic or auric field. Over time, if we get to know where in our physical body tranquility can be found, it becomes easier and easier to access it when we find ourselves needing to down-regulate in challenging situations. 

Our practice gives us the opportunity to cultivate our connection to the embodiment of different emotions and feelings. If I think about where love lives in my body, I am drawn more deeply into my chest which is interesting as it's also a close neighbor to where anger likes to reside. Similar location but very different energy between them. And they don't show themselves simultaneously, that is, we can't be loving and angry all at the same moment. My point is, the more we find stillness, the deeper our understanding is to what's happening in each moment. We gain clarity and a more profound sense of self, the "I Am" aspect of our being. In regards to tranquility, when we are able to "bookmark" where it resides, we can go there whether we are hustling through a busy city or strolling along a mountain path in solitude. 

Peacefulness doesn't live outside of us but is inherently within us. Perhaps we step into a natural environment to facilitate the uncovering of inner tranquility and by doing so, we get to know it intimately. So try this practice to uncover your inner quiet. Make yourself as still as possible, either sitting or laying down and notice what happens. The key is to stay still and avoid fidgeting and witness where your attention goes. It may reveal itself slowly, but over time it reveals the essence of who you really are.