Your Body as Teacher: Practicing Inner Peace Sally Mahé (USA

Sally Mahé Editor’s Note: One of the pioneers of the interfaith peacebuilding movement, and an advisor and spiritual teacher to so many including myself, Sally leads us through a reflection and practice that teaches us to allow our bodies to be our guide as we cultivate inner peace.

No manuals, no devices needed, just bring your full attention to your body as you invite inner peace into your being.

Stand up, posture erect but not stiff, arms comfortably at your sides, feet grounded about shoulder width apart, head comfortable, feel your body centered and balanced.

Follow your breath as it naturally flows in and out.

Imagine warm, misty rain gently relaxing your face, head and shoulders.

Take a deeper breath and feel its freshness reach all the way to your belly.

Feel your brain relax, soften your knees, smile a little, bring a gentle gaze to your eyes.

With your eyes almost closed become aware of where you are, what is the air like? Take in your surroundings with soft eyes. Pause.

Notice your thoughts and feelings, recognize urges to speak or take action. Let the urges go. Breathe gently.

Balance and center again, gently place a hand on your belly. Imagine your head energy dropping to your belly. Connect your feet solidly with the ground.

Place your other hand on your heart. Breathe gently several times.

Now, balance and center, take a step forward, walk a little ways. Ask - am I ready to consider my next move?

This simple exercise that connects your mind, body and heart is a practice you can do over and over again.

Whether it’s a recurring unsettled feeling, facing a conflict with a friend, family member, colleague, or living in the midst of entrenched communal violence; the spirit and skill of peacebuilding begins by looking inside oneself. Listen to your body because it is your best teacher. In tough situations it signals feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, confusion, frustration, doubt; and, it gives you a way to transform those feelings to help yourself and others.

The key is pausing long enough to recognize what you are feeling, to go deeper inside yourself and make adjustments.

Remembering to call on your body to help you balance and center when you are anxious or thrown off track takes commitment and practice. Reading self-help books and talking about the “how to’s” and the importance of personal inner peace won’t help much without your body getting into the action. Finding inner peace is unique to each person and calls for daily attention that demands rigor. The good news is that finding peace and equilibrium within oneself is always accessible. It is a gift you give yourself as well as others. It’s not about always acting like the peacemaker you want to be, but learning how to get back on the path when you fall off. Feel free to adapt this exercise to fit you. Ask a friend to read the exercise to guide you until you can do it anywhere, anytime on your own.

If you should be knocked off center in one way or another, there is always the possibility - if you can stay aware - of returning to the balanced and centered condition at an even deeper level.

Quotation by George Leonard and Michael Murphy, Co-founders of Integral Transformative Practice and pioneers of the Human Potential Movement.

Article by Sally Mahé, Senior Consultant with United Religions Initiative (URI), Master Teacher with Integral Transformative Practice International (ITPI). I would like to acknowledge URI for introducing me to hundreds of amazing peacemakers around the world; and, to ITPI for teaching me in-depth, integral peace practices that connect body, mind, heart and soul. ²

Sally Mahé, a founding staff person of URI the United Religions Initaitive, has held senior staff positions for over 20 years. Sally formerly served as URI Director of Organizational Development and Director of Global Programs, working primarily with regional staff across the world. As Senior Consultant, Sally is on-call for consultation and makes core URI values, practices and in-depth organizational wisdom available to the URI global community. Sally co-authored The Birth of a Global Community in 2003 and A Greater Democracy Day by Day. Sally holds Master’s degrees from Harvard and the General Episcopal Seminary, New York. She lives in the Bay Area with her children and grandchildren nearby. Sally maintains the blog Every Voice, where she writes about the varied ways URI Cooperation Circle members all over the world give voice to URI and contribute to its success. Sally maintains several recurring blog series on the URI website. You can access them at URI.org/sally.