Friday, October 31, 2008

Once found, how do we maintain inner peace?

Dear fellow humans and aspirants for peace,

The recent workshop in Las Cruces made the need for relaxation clear to everybody involved.
Those of you who participated in it registered because you probably felt stressed out, burned out, restless, confused, or being trapped in a rut. It took only a few restorative yoga poses, and most of you felt the other side of the coin: relief, support, inner spaciousness, and gentleness toward yourself.

This was now three weeks ago.
How are you doing now?
Has this workshop - or any other class/book on the same subject - changed anything in the way you conduct your life? Or are you "back to business as usual?"

I assume that the latter is the case.
Please, don't get gray hair over it and don't strew ashes on your head.

It is one of the many paradoxes of or time: There is an overwhelming amount of information on stress and relaxation available. Meanwhile, we all know that relaxation is a physiological, mental, and spiritual necessity. Moreover, we have a good idea how to relax.

Nevertheless, do we incorporate into our daily lives what we have learned at the yoga studio, in meditation retreats, and in stress reduction classes?

Why not?
What keeps us running around?
What would it take to shift finally toward a balanced and peaceful lifestyle?