How to achieve Serenity or Peace Within
March 1st, 2009 10:30 amTo live a truly yogic lifestyle we need to develop certain mental qualities that help us to be a “true yogi (or yogini) no matter what life brings and what happens around us. For most of us (including myself) this is quite a challenge. Let us explore some of the things that might help us along our path.
Swami Sivananda talks about 18 “ities” that we need to cultivate. They will eventually replace the not-so-healthy programmes going on in our minds.
The first one is serenity. It seems a very old fashioned or scarce thing – I have met very, very few truly serene people in my life. You know the sort of person I am talking about – they are truly calm, composed and happy, they ooze joy, they are light hearted and it is a pleasure to be around them.
How can we cultivate serenity? We need to let go of our mental and emotional reactions. This seems like a very big ask! The other way of looking at it is this: when we are serene we are at peace with ourselves. Why can’t we maintain this peace within?
Serenity is like our body. The body consists of many parts – legs, arms, head, internal organs – all of them have to function as a whole for us to feel well. Serenity is also made up of many different components. It has been defined as the “experience of an integrated personality”.
In a yoga journal published by Sivananda Math, India, October 2007, page 18, it says the following: “We identify with a false idea of ourselves. It is akin to pointing at our image in a mirror and saying: “that’s me.” How can that person be us? We are not saying: “That is my reflection.” We are identifying with that image. We don’t see ourselves, we don’t see the real us. We think the appearance is real.”
How often do we desperately try to project an image to the outside world that is not “us” out of fear that we won’t be liked, loved or accepted. How much energy is wasted, how much trouble caused?
The other thing that comes to mind is the story about seeing the “splinter in the other person’s eye” but being completely unaware of the “beam in our own eye”. This happens because we like to see the image of ourselves but not how we really are inside, “warts and all”. We waste time and energy critizising the other person instead of working on ourselves to overcome old hurts, damaging behaviour patterns and addictions. We all have some addictions, some are very obvious to us and the outside world, others are very hidden and not commonly recognised. Some are very damaging, others are more of a nuisance.
I think that part of developing an “integrated personality” is coming to terms with our flaws and short comings, acknowledging them and then working towards changing them into something more constructive and beneficial.
It is a life long job, but every step we take towards a more integrated personality is also a step towards “serenity” or “emotional intelligence”.
Till next time
Connie
Your Yoga Partner
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