You Always Have Access to the Light
Strategies for Peace and Well-Being
Written by Cristina Murano.
Each of us has our own story, a story that contains our fears, joys, challenges, and memories. We carry this story with us wherever we are, regardless of our geography, but our geography also shapes and influences how we feel at any given moment. This interplay between who we are and where we are is constant, and it requires energy, adaptability, and resilience.
As I have evolved, I have acquired new ways of maintaining balance and inner well-being. All this is not to suggest that balance and well-being are permanent states of being; on the contrary, they are like constant goals to achieve. Sometimes I am successful at arriving at balance and well-being, and sometimes I am not. Ultimately, the point is that I, and all of us, strive to find that sweet spot where we feel our feelings embrace ourselves with compassion and use self-reflection and self-awareness as a means to get a little better and a little braver every day.
Here are the things that have helped me:
Books
Books have been a constant in my life. They are gifts with immeasurable value. I could name so many, but the following are the ones that are recommended as a starting point, no matter where you are in your journey of healing and love:
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, by Pema Chödrön. This book was suggested to me over fifteen years ago, and it changed my life. Chödrön, born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown, is an American Buddhist nun. Before becoming ordained in her thirties, she graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and taught as an elementary school teacher. She lives in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, at Gampo Abbey, an establishment for Western monks and nuns. She has written many books, including The Wisdom of No Escape, Start Where You Are, The Places That Scare You, and Smile at Fear.
When Things Fall Apart is by far her most famous and revered. The title speaks volumes about the content and guidance found within. It truly is good heart advice. For instance, on our relationship to others and ourselves she writes:
“The only reason that we don’t open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don’t feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes.”
Another book that is simple but profound is Ashley Neese’s How to Breathe: 25 Simple Practices for Finding Connection, Calm, Joy, and Resilience. Neese is a breathwork teacher and author. She is trained in yoga, meditation, medical intuition, and somatic therapy. Her work is about helping people fully inhabit their bodies and “cultivate resilience, develop relational intelligence, and trust the wisdom held within.”
How to Breathe takes readers through a series of breathwork exercises that are tailored to a specific feeling that aids in being more at home with oneself. Neese describes breathwork as part of a long, international history of self-care and enlightenment:
“There are Tai Chi breathing practices specifically designed to strengthen the diaphragm and acupuncture points in Chinese medicine to open the flow of qi (life force) in the body. In some African and South American traditions, the breath is used to release spirits from the body, thus aiding in the healing of the individual and the community.”
Neese also says, “The places in the body that are emotionally or energetically backlogged are likely to become areas of chronic pain and tension if they are not addressed on a consistent basis.”
Nature
In conjunction with books, spending time in nature has proven rejuvenating. The simplicity of it, the wonder, and the sounds are peaceful. Have you ever let yourself get lost in the conversations of birds? I highly recommend it. Have you ever noticed the movement patterns of bugs? They are fascinating. There is a lot to revere and learn from nature. It can heal us if we let it.
Meditation
Finally, there is meditation, which is challenging. Our minds are crafted to think, so to calm this requires effort, discipline, and commitment. Meditation teachers recommend starting small with five-minute sittings each day or every other day. Ideally, you should be in a comfortable, quiet, and safe space. Your posture is firm but relaxed. You can be sitting on a cushion or in a chair. You breathe in through your nose, focus on emptying your mind, and notice the length and softness of your breath as it goes in and then out. You let the sounds of your thoughts float and become quiet, like white noise.
By starting small, you build your practice over time, increasing it to ten minutes, then fifteen minutes, and then longer if you choose. Meditation, like books, breathwork, and nature, creates the same conditions for us: more peace, less suffering. In turn, we as individuals feel more in tune and at peace with others.
This is part of how a compassionate, understanding, and generous world is cultivated: through small, individual steps toward radical self-love that touches us first and then extends out to all of humanity and the Earth. Given all that is happening in the world and the dire circumstances of our planet, we need this collective commitment towards peace more than ever.
Sources:
Pema Chodron Foundation. (n.d.). Perma Chodon. https://pemachodronfoundation.org/about/pema-chodron/
Ashley Neese. (n.d.). Bio. https://ashleyneese.com/about/#ashley-bio
The Author
Cristina Murano’s work is in the areas of education, equity, public governance, and sport, with a focus on youth, women, and 2SLGBTQ+ people. She is originally from Toronto, Canada. Instagram: @profondoluce