How To Achieve Inner Peace With Yoga?

Achieving inner peace through yoga is really valuable, especially today, because our lives are often filled with stress and constant distractions. Yoga helps us calm the mind, reduce anxiety, and improve our overall well-being. It helps us connect with ourselves on a deeper level, which is really important for mental and emotional health. It might seem like an impossible dream but it’s very much a possibility. It is something one has to desire and obviously keep as an aim and direction. What we appreciate and value grows as we make a commitment to it.

With  the unavoidable stress of modern day living, staying calm can seem unattainable. However the practice of gentle movement, and breath awareness are ways to quiet the mind and find inner stillness and not only reduce stress but also nurture relaxation and mental clarity. These practices really help balance the demands of life, allowing one to maintain emotional steadiness, even when things get tough. And the great thing is, by making these stress-relief habits part of one’s daily routine, one can build a solid foundation for lasting inner harmony. Yoga, which has been around for thousands of years is as relevant today as it was in ancient times. It is the discipline that guides us to stay present and restore balance in our lives.

Finding inner peace through yoga is really all about cultivating a sense of presence and awareness. Practices like meditation, deep breathing, and gentle asanas can help calm the mind. Over time, as you connect more deeply with your breath and body, you’ll naturally find that sense of peace and balance. It’s a beautiful journey of self-discovery through ease and relaxation. Inner peace comes from being fully present and connecting deeply with your own inner self.  To find that inner stillness it is important to quiet the mind. Swami Satyananda says that this is the most challenging thing. So patience and compassion toward oneself is essential on this journey.

Inner peace is that calm, serene state where stress and chaos just melt away, and one connects with the harmony inside you. It brings with it a feeling of contentment that helps a person handle life’s ups and downs with confidence. Inner peace guides one  to live authentically and connect with their true self, free from external expectations. Getting to that inner peace means building awareness, developing emotional resilience, and embracing a balanced lifestyle. Our emotions play a big role in this, acting as a bridge between our inner world and the outside world. By acknowledging and understanding our emotions, we can harmonize them, reducing inner conflicts and fostering a peaceful mind. It is only through mental and emotional balance that we can find inner tranquility. And to get there, practices like conscious breathing, antar mouna meditation, antar darshan and Satyananda Yoga nidra help us rise above the external noise and tap into that inner calm. In this fast-moving world, inner peace is essential for lasting happiness and purpose. The practice of yama and niyama such as non-violence and truthfulness, are also  essential for a peaceful life. Each step towards that peaceful state deepens our self-awareness and nurtures better relationships with ourselves and the world around us.

The Bihar School of Yoga’s magazine has some fantastic articles on inner peace. For instance, there’s one about managing the mind through yoga, which helps make the mind more creative and awake. Another one emphasizes the role of breath awareness in calming the mind. There are also pieces on expanding consciousness and transforming the mind through meditation. All of these provide really valuable insights and practical guidance for cultivating that inner peace through yoga.http://www.yogamag.net

Inner peace is a prerequisite to the ultimate goal of the yogic journey as Paramahamsa Satyananda states in the following quote; “Inner peace is a balanced vision of life. It is not subject to achievements and losses. Inner peace is an understanding of everything in life. External life is full of ups and downs, and for a weak person it sometimes becomes tiring and exhausting. For a strong person, every ascent is a joy and every descent is a game. This life must therefore be lived. Inner peace comes when one accepts whatever happens, and everything in life becomes impersonal. That is the secret. Peace of mind is not the ultimate state. The ultimate is to realize one’s real being, the supreme consciousness. Inner peace or happiness is only a means to an end.”Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Practicing Yoga At Home: Where To Begin?

1. Create a clutter free space: A great way to start is by setting up a cozy space at home, a quiet corner with a yoga mat, wearing some comfortable clothing. Make the space inviting so you will want to go there. When I started I lit a candle and some incense and dimmed the lights to create an atmosphere conducive to practicing. I practiced in the evening after work and really looked forward to some quiet time to myself.

2. Have a routine:  In the Satyananda/ Bihar yoga tradition, there is a very clear understanding of what practices to begin with. “Pawanmuktasana is valuable for understanding the meaning of asana by developing awareness of the body’s movements and the subtle effects they have at the various levels of being. It is very useful as a preparatory practice as it opens up all the major joints and relaxes the muscles of the body. The series may be practised by anyone: beginner or advanced, young or elderly. It should never be ignored and treated casually just because the practices are simple, gentle and comfortable.” APMB Swami Satyananda Saraswati OR You can start with some beginner-friendly routines or guided videos online. There are lots of free resources, and you can gradually build up your practice.

3. Tune into your body’s needs: here the key is to be patient with yourself and just enjoy the process. Learning to listen to your body’s needs is a skill worth acquiring and just have fun with it as you grow!

4. Build on the foundational practice: Once you’ve got the basics you can gradually increase the complexity of your routines. It helps to set a consistent schedule, perhaps a few times a week. The asana practice might include Marjariasana (cat pose) Tadasana (palm tree pose) Tiryaka Tadasana ( swaying palm tree pose), Kati chakrasana( waist rotating pose) and Kandharasa (shoulder pose) followed by Shavasana (rest pose) practicing abdominal breathing for 5 minutes.

5. Regularity: The beauty of being at home and by oneself is that there’s absolutely no pressure to do more  than feels appropriate on any given day. Learning to breathe deeply and to feel at ease in one’s body brings one back to the yoga mat regularly.

6. Pranayama: The practice of deep yogic breathing helps to calm the mind. Then the balancing pranayama deepens this feeling of balance.  There are also heating and cooling practices, dependant on the season.

7. Meditation: There is a deeper part of yourself yearning for connection to the relaxed and  positive aspect within. Once the breath is calm and relaxed one can introduce the sound of the breath with the mantra so ham to calm and relax the mind.

8. For those who have been practicing for a while, it’s really about deepening your practice. You can experiment with more advanced poses, maybe try some longer sequences.  You can also consider joining online communities or even workshops to deepen your understanding and connect with other yogis. It’s all about continuous growth and exploration! Satyanandashram Hellas offers online classes :https://satyanandayoga.gr/en/meditation-centers/courses/

Whether you are sick or weak, old or even very old, you can succeed in yoga if you practice diligently. Svatmarma: Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Ashram life Experience

I am very fortunate to have spent a few months in BSY ashram, Munger India in my 20’s. It set me up for life. This was a time of real growth and learning. I feel any young person would benefit enormously from such a training.( And by young, I mean open!)

Most of the time the education we receive is to be part of a workforce. There’s very little to connect us with others in a meaningful way. In an ashram one meets people from many different cultures. One learns to adjust and grow in awareness of oneself and others. In a world where there’s a lot of emphasis on the external, there’s a link with the internal world. From such a link, life has meaning and purpose. I wholeheartedly recommend this experience. To find out more lick on the link below

https://www.biharyoga.net/ashram-life-experience-training.php