Transcript

Brian
Hi, and welcome to the Somatic Coaching Academy podcast. How are you today, Ani?

Ani
I’m good. I’m feeling pretty calm and grounded and well-rested, which I’m very happy about. Oh, that’s good.

Yeah. How about you? I’m feeling kind of happy.

Yeah? Oh, well, that’s a shift. I’m feeling like you and you’re feeling like me.

Brian
This is going to be a fun episode. Should we switch seats?

Ani
Yeah, right.

Brian
So people don’t get confused.

Ani
Maybe I brought the definitions today.

Brian
Yeah, exactly. And I’ll just wing it.

Ani
All right. So we’re going to blow that cover real quick because my first question for you is, hey, Brian, what are we talking about today?

Brian
Okay, so what are we talking about today? So we are on episode 103, and today’s topic is, well, it’s a question, really, is how can I find inner peace?

Ani
Way to bring the big topics. This is definitely one that a lot of people want to talk about. So excited to hop on in.

Brian
Yeah, a lot of people ask about this. A lot of people are interested in this. I would have to say that most, if not all, of our clients and our students say that they would like to experience inner peace.

Ani
I think so. Actually, I was just talking with some of our Mastermind clients recently, and one of the things that they were talking about in the results they’re getting in the program is that they feel more inner peace. And one of the ways that that’s shown up for them is feeling less reactive to things and being able to really feel more not just grounded and centered within themselves, but like the stuff outside isn’t as impactful to their inner experience.

So yeah, yeah, for sure.

Brian
Yeah, which actually speaks to kind of like our topic today. So oftentimes, I look up definitions for words that were- Yeah, did you not do that today? Well, I did, but I did it a little bit differently.

So I actually looked up, what is inner peace? And if you’re going to break down those definitions, you’d have to look at what’s the definition of inner, what’s the definition of peace sort of thing. So an AI summary comes up when you ask those kinds of questions, right?

Ani
A new AI summary.

Brian
So usually I just breeze past that, but I stopped and I read it and I thought, well, how accurate is this? Because AI basically just scours the internet for not very viable information, but relevant information. It puts it all together into a summary, right?

It’s going to take it from multiple sources instantaneously and creates a statement out of it.

Ani
So it came up- The way it answers questions is kind of interesting too. We learned about that recently, but now I don’t remember exactly what it said.

Brian
Yeah. Anyway, so I thought I’d read the summary because it’s actually kind of good.

Ani
Okay.

Brian
So when you ask AI- This was Google? What is inner peace? It says, the experience of inner peace is a deep internal state of calmness, balance, and contentment that persists even amidst life’s challenges and stressors.

It involves a tranquil mind, free from disruptive thoughts and intense emotions, fostering acceptance of oneself and the world, and a harmonious alignment with one’s core values. The state is characterized by an absence of anxiety and worry, a sense of ease, and a feeling of being present and comfortable in one’s own skin.

Ani
I like that. What do you think?

Brian
I thought it was pretty comprehensive, actually, you know, fairly lofty.

Ani
Yeah, right.

Brian
Because the thing is that something like inner peace, it kind of exists on a spectrum, right? You can be on one side of it where there’s just absolute turmoil and no inner peace. And then all the way on the other side, there’s like what this AI overview is talking about, like complete deep equanimity and detachment from all things.

And so that’s kind of aspirational. And then there’s in between. And so oftentimes when we talk about these things, my question is, what direction are you going?

Are you going towards the direction of that dissolution and chaos? Are you moving towards greater inner peace? I really look at it more of a directional kind of thing.

Ani
I like that. And I like the idea of the spectrum, because I definitely get caught in black and white thinking myself and remembering that things are on a spectrum. And it’s not just all one way or the other way.

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
It’s really important.

Brian
Yeah. So I read a statement like that. And I think, well, that’s a great aspirational direction to move into.

Ani
Yeah.

Brian
And all those qualities are really cool. I mean, it’d be great to be tranquil and free of disruptive thoughts and emotions. And that sounds pretty likable.

I think we’d like to have that.

Ani
Yeah. One thing stuck out at me. Do you mind if I point it out?

Of core. The one that stuck out to me was the part about values. What does it say?

Brian
Harmonious alignment with one’s core values.

Ani
So I think that that’s kind of interesting because my experience of being in alignment with my core values actually includes potential emotional sensational states. Because I think when I live in my core values, there can be emotion that comes along with that. So it’s not always just an inner peaceful state.

Actually, I think what I’m trying to say is it can be sometimes, I think, easier to experience inner peace when my core values aren’t stimulated or something.

Brian
When they aren’t stimulated. Oh, that’s interesting.

Ani
Because core values mean so much to us. It’s just such an interesting idea that we could have this experience. And I’ve experienced it from time to time.

But again, the spectrum where we’re just free of thoughts and free of emotions and all of that stuff.

Brian
Yeah. You know, it was coming up for me as you were talking about the core values. And I do want to say we’re talking about inner peace, by the way, right?

We’re not talking about outer peace, right? I mean, those two things, they have a relationship with one another for sure. But I think what was occurring to me when you were talking about core values is it’s much easier to experience inner peace when our core values are supported on the outer.

Ani
That’s what I’m trying to say. Right.

Brian
So when our core values are supported outwardly, it’s like we immediately come to a sense of inner peace.

Ani
I would agree with that wholeheartedly. Yeah. Yeah.

That distinction between inner and outer peace is a huge one. And then that adds to the spectrum, by the way, because obviously it’s easier to be in inner peace when things are less stimulating on the external. Or like you said, our core values are being supported.

Brian
Right. Yeah. And so that’s a bit of a trap, right?

Because most people allow a sense of inner peace or have a sense of inner peace when there’s outer peace. Right. So we’re still in that place where the outside, what’s happening outside of us is dictating what happens inside of us.

And I think the journey here is to start to turn that around where we can experience inner peace regardless of what’s going on outside of us.

Ani
I think a lot of people really still, I was going to say believe or buy into, but that’s not quite right. Know, a lot of people know the way that emotions work, to be that emotions are stimulated by external events, Brian. I mean, as I talk to people out there in the world, most people know that.

And I’m saying know, because it was what they learned and they just haven’t learned anything differently. I think it really keeps people trapped that, by the way, the new science of emotions tells us that that’s not true. It’s a myth.

But that idea and what we were taught about emotions, I think really does keep us trapped. Because if emotions are caused by things that happen outside of us, how could I possibly ever have inner peace? Because it’s dependent on things happening or not happening outside of me.

Brian
Right. Yeah.

Ani
So there’s a bit of a chicken or the egg kind of thing that we have to reverse in our understanding of how our emotions work, I think, to be able to get to those kinds of places.

Brian
Yeah, for sure. So we’re definitely shifting our mindset around that and how we perceive and all those things. We’re in a pretty radical time of that, I think, right now in history, by the way.

Right. With lots of chaos that goes on in the outside world, but be able to manage some sense of inner equanimity. I actually have a couple synonyms, too.

When we talk about inner peace, I have a couple synonyms I use. I wonder if you have other words that might mean inner peace for you. For me, equanimity.

I just kind of use that word. For me, it’s like seeking equanimity or experiencing equanimity. That means the same to me, inner peace.

But I don’t know. That word just means it feels better for me. Cheerful indifference, of core, is one of my favorite phrases that is kind of matched up to inner peace for me.

Ani
The equanimity never, I don’t know, doesn’t really land with me. But cheerful indifference, I really like. One of the reasons I like it is because, to me, that has that idea of something’s going on outside of me.

And I can just kind of allow it to be there. Allowing is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. And cheerful indifference has that baked in kind of allowing or acceptance.

Detachment, right?

Brian
Yeah, a sense of detachment.

Ani
Yeah, not being attached. Yeah.

Brian
Like my inner experience can be independent of what’s going on outside of me.

Ani
Yeah, I like that way of saying it. I think that using all these different words is really important because it’s going to help all of us to kind of figure out what words resonate with us as we unravel this idea and begin to experience states of inner peace.

Brian
Yeah, so as I was pondering this question of how can I find inner peace, my mind naturally goes to, well, what are the steps to finding inner peace? I’m not sure there’s like a one, two, three, but I kind of came up with a one, two, three. Okay.

What would be kind of the direction that we’re moving into from a physiological frame point, from a philosophical frame point, from a psychological frame point? Like if you’re here listening today and you have zero inner peace and you’re just like turmoil, inner turmoil lots of the time, what’s the first thing that you do sort of thing? And I think that the first, kind of like the first step is we have to kind of deal with physiologic coherence, right?

We have to kind of deal with what’s going on in a person’s physiology, really thinking about the nervous system and getting the nervous system stabilized and regulated. That’s the first step.

Ani
Yeah. If you don’t do that, your brain is going to believe that there’s a problem that needs to be solved. And when there’s a problem that needs to be solved, that inner peace state isn’t going to be possible.

Brian
Yeah. Because when someone’s in a lot of distress or a lot of pain, this can be physical pain or emotional pain, right? What we want to happen is just the pain to stop.

We just want it to stop. We want to just have like no pain, like ceaseless, just pain ending. And you can’t really do that.

Like when we think about turmoil to inner peace, you can’t really jump like from there all the way to the other side of the coin, right?

Ani
Right. Well, it’s just reminding me when we work with our students and clients, how one of the first steps is acknowledging what’s going on, but then moving to a place where both exist and being aware that both exist. It’s not about pushing anything away.

Brian
Right.

Ani
As soon as we push something away, we’re attached to it. And then there’s the attachment.

Brian
Yeah. So if you’re really committed to moving towards more inner peace in your life, like how can I find inner peace? The first step is always nervous system regulation.

That’s just what it is. And so we do that with core centering, of course. With our core centering methods, we teach people a whole host of ways to go about doing that, that really they can customize it for themselves.

But it’s a basic framework of how to get there very quickly.

Ani
It just occurred to me when you said find inner peace, that I’m agreeing with you about that nervous system regulation, but recognizing that you don’t so much have to find it, as you have to allow it to arise. Like it’s already there.

Brian
Sure. Yeah. It’s already there.

Ani
Right. And the core centering practices are practice that I feel like my experience of them is it’s more like taking the blanket off of something that’s already there. You know, my natural state or whatever.

And so one of the reasons why a person wouldn’t be able to find inner peace is because they don’t think it’s there. And they don’t do the practices that take the blanket off. Yeah.

Like you said, if you’re dedicated to finding inner peace, then make these practices a part of your daily life.

Brian
Yeah. It’s a very practical first step. It is.

I mean, it’s very practical. Anybody can do these practices. They’re very helpful.

They will move the needle consistently in the direction of experiencing more, whatever you want to call it. If you like the word equanimity, if you like tranquility, if you like more detachment, if you like more stability, whatever it is, then these practices are invaluable.

Ani
Hey, I just heard a great story about core centering practices and inner peace actually yesterday. Cool. Yeah, it was a really compelling story.

I was just going to tell a super small part of it. But one of our students was working with their client, who is a vet and a veteran. And not a vet with cats and dogs, a veteran.

And they have a lot of chaos in their home. And the time that they feel like they’re tapping into their inner peace is when they’re doing specifically one of the core centering practices around opening the heart. And I thought that was just so wonderful.

And they’re quite impaired physically. So they need to do it in bed. And when you said anybody can do it, like anybody can do it.

So they do the heart opening in bed. And it’s a time that our student was saying, it just shifts everything for them. She can see it shift.

And they can get to that inner peace state, even though they have a history of a lot of stuff. And there’s a lot of stuff going on in their home. And there’s a lot of stuff going on in their body.

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
So I think it just speaks to what you were talking about.

Brian
Sure. So this is really the first step. If you’re really committed to seeking inner peace, then you’ve got to have some regular practice in your somatic practice in your life, like core centering, to help you to regulate, stabilize your nervous systems, help to free up the gunk, the chronic tension, the toxicity, all that kind of stuff in your system.

And again, if you’re really seeking more sustained periods of inner peace, then whatever practice you’re doing, let’s say core centering, it needs to be like brushing your teeth. You need to do it every day. It’s not just a once in a while thing.

Ani
Yeah. And consistency can be really hard for folks. I think we’re probably going to talk about one of the reasons why in the next step.

But one of the things I was going to say is just ask yourself, how can I be consistent to start to get ideas rather than be like, why am I not consistent? Why isn’t this working? Those aren’t questions that are going to help you to get to what is going to be helpful.

So how can I be consistent with this practice? We’ll start to open your mind to all kinds of different opportunities because there’s all kinds of different opportunities to help you be consistent with your practice.

Brian
For sure. Yeah. There’s one other little asterisk I want to put on actually the whole kind of inner peace process, if you will, moving in that direction is it’s practically impossible for people who are in chronically unsafe situations to regulate their nervous systems, right?

Because there is that constant sense of not being safe, constantly activates all the threat responses inside of the nervous system. So I just want to kind of say that too. So for people who find themselves in chronically unsafe situations, because we talk a lot about, wait, am I changing what I’m doing on the inside or am I changing what I’m doing on the outside?

Ani
Sure.

Brian
And both are important, but the outside change is the most important if a person is in an unsafe situation because finding inner peace in an unsafe situation is practically impossible.

Ani
Right.

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
Absolutely. Yeah. That’s a really good point because I think it can be spiritual bypassing a bit to be like every single time, just change on the inside.

If you’re in an unsafe situation, that is an external that needs to be.

Brian
You need to change that. Yeah. You need to change that.

Ani
Yeah. Good point.

Brian
Yeah. So that’s that. So first step, regulate your nervous system.

Physiologic coherence, so important. Okay. What’s the next step?

So the next step would be to really transcend the limiting beliefs that are keeping you from experiencing inner peace.

Ani
And when we’re talking about beliefs, we’re not just talking about the thoughts that are in your head. We’re talking about the sensations you feel in the body, the thoughts that you’re thinking, the words you’re speaking, and the actions that you’re taking. And that’s an important part of this piece on inner peace.

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
Because if we just think, we can change how we’re thinking about things. It’s not a whole story.

Brian
And this second step of really engaging with limiting beliefs, you have to have a relaxed nervous system to be able to do that well. So that’s why that first step is so important. So a lot of people just try to jump right in to hammering on those limiting beliefs before their nervous system is actually stabilized or regulated.

And it makes it really difficult and frustrating and can be self-debasing. And all these other negative emotions can come up with it because we just have set ourselves up for success.

Ani
Right. You just keep recreating what you’re creating right now. It’s just like that Einstein quote, you can’t change something from the current level of thinking that you have now.

Brian
Yeah. So let’s assume for a moment that you’re on this pathway and that you are in a safe situation. Let’s just make that assumption.

So if you’re not in a safe situation, again, our advice is to get safe. That’s the first thing. And then that next step is to nervous system regulation, physiological coherence, those kinds of things.

The next step we’re talking about is engaging with these limiting beliefs that are keeping us from experiencing inner peace. So some of these, just as an example, like some of these core limiting beliefs, like if we have a core belief that the world isn’t safe, let’s say, even though we’re physically safe in the moment, but we carry a chronic belief that the world isn’t safe. Well, then that’s going to make it very difficult to experience inner peace on a regular basis.

Ani
Yeah.

Brian
Right. I mean, it could also be things like if we just have a core belief that we’re not worthy of experiencing inner peace. We’re not worthy of good things.

Ani
I was wondering what examples you were going to come up with. And as I’m thinking and wondering what you’re going to say, it was occurring to me, it really doesn’t matter what it is. The limitation beliefs, the limiting beliefs cause inner turmoil.

Brian
Yeah, exactly. Yep.

Ani
No matter what it is. Yeah.

Brian
Yeah, exactly. So do we have to kind of look at what are the core limiting beliefs that are keeping someone from experiencing inner peace? If that’s what their goal is, that’s what we’re talking about today.

So we’re assuming that’s where we’re going with things. But so what are some other core limiting beliefs that could be? So if you have a belief the world’s not safe, that’s a pretty obvious one.

That’s going to always create inner churn for people. The worthiness idea I think is pretty persistent for, can be pretty tenacious in a lot of ways and pretty persistent and common across a lot of people. That creates a lot of churn for us internally.

Ani
Yeah. I don’t belong. Another one that comes up for a lot of folks is I’m bad or I’m wrong.

I’m wrong. Oof, just like constant inner turmoil as you try to figure out how to be right. Yeah.

Brian
Yeah. So transcending these beliefs, these limiting beliefs is kind of like that next step. And of course we do sensation-based motivation coaching is the methodology that we use to help people transcend these limiting beliefs to help start to kind of let go of some of those things.

Ani
Yeah. And again, the way we talk about it is it’s a limiting belief, meaning a pattern, meaning it has those four parts sensations, thoughts, words, and actions. Because if you just think that you can change a limiting belief and you’re thinking it’s a thought, you could be running around chasing the thoughts in your head for your entire life.

So there’s a place where you can get to, where you can really shift that core limiting belief, core pattern to come from rather than limitation, core expression.

Brian
Right.

Ani
And that’s that real actual turning point. You know, I thought for a long time, if I could just catch the limiting belief, meaning thought in my head, that I was going to be able to shift the ship.

Brian
Right. Yeah.

Ani
But that’s like trying to change the core of a cruise ship with a paddle. You know, it’s just not going to work. But once you find those, that core limiter, you know, you can actually shift them.

Brian
Yeah. And so we talked a few weeks ago about core limiters too, by the way. So you can go back and listen to that previous podcast also.

Really, the thing that we have to do to transcend these things kind of in a nutshell is we have to be able to prove that they aren’t true. Right. And that’s really what it’s really about.

And when we say prove that they’re not true, like what Ani’s saying, if the prove that they’re not true on all the levels of sensations, thoughts, words, and actions, not just the thinking that they’re not true, we have to constantly question them, both intellectually and somatically, where we have to question them somatically, how they exist and how they live in our bodies. And we have to kind of start to seek their opposites too, both somatically and intellectually. And that’s how we start to prove that they’re not true.

Ani
Yeah. And then continue to prove that they’re not true by allowing awareness over and over and over again.

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
For continued evidence.

Brian
Exactly. Continued evidence. Again, it turns kind of like into a brushing your teeth kind of thing again.

Ani
Right. And I’m just thinking about how that over and over again requires continued awareness building. I was just having a conversation with one of our clients where it was pretty obvious to me from the actions that she was taking that she was coming from her core limiter, but it wasn’t occurring to her at all.

And when I said, do you think this is coming from your core limiter? And she thought about it. She was like, oh my gosh, I didn’t even see it.

So really being open to the idea that this is a continued process, being open to the unfolding, being open to continued awareness.

Brian
Yeah. It’s not a one and done because we’re always growing, right? The law of more life is that everything’s always growing.

So as soon as we transcend a limiting belief and create a new belief, eventually that new belief is going to be limiting if we’re still in the service of growing, right?

Ani
Yeah. So we’re always kind of- Yeah, it’s really more about the process because when you know the process, it’s not like you got to that one plateau or whatever and you can’t do it again.

Brian
Yeah, yeah. It’s not like trees, they just like, at some points they’re like, okay, I’m done.

Ani
I’m done.

Brian
They just keep going through the process, right? Trees go through a seasonal process. They sleep, they grow, they sleep, they grow, they sleep, they grow.

They just keep doing it kind of thing. Unlike our cat, which just sleeps and sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. He grows though.

Ani
He does. He sleeps and grows.

Brian
He does sleep and grow. The more he sleeps, the more he grows. Actually, the cats again, they break all the laws.

Okay, so what’s the third step? So we’ve got the physiological coherence, transcend limiting belief, and then really the next step is to- Levitate. Levitate.

To form, you kind of alluded to this, Ani, with the idea of going from a core limiter to a core expression. Really the last step in this process is to formulate a new identity of someone who can experience inner peace.

Ani
Brian, I was just on a call with somebody an hour ago talking about identity. And I think it’s really an interesting topic because it’s so easy to talk about. It’s so much harder to do it because it’s super confronting to change your identity.

It’s super confronting.

Brian
Yeah, absolutely is.

Ani
And then there’s this wonky period in the middle where you knew who you were, but you don’t quite embody who you are becoming, where it’s kind of like, I don’t know who I am. It’s a big deal.

Brian
Yeah, what makes that easier, Ani, is that an identity is a pattern, just like everything else. So whatever identity that you are leaning into or adopting or expressing or repressing, it’s just a pattern. And the pattern still has four parts, sensations, thoughts, words, and actions.

So again, when we go through sensation-based motivation coaching, we’re really working with patterns. And so the cool thing that I’ve seen working with clients and students is that when you change a pattern and someone steps into a more empowering pattern, their identity actually changes without asking them to change their identity.

Ani
Right. And the question I have for the listeners is can you let that happen? I’m not good with remembering facts, as I know you know.

There’s a Thich Nhat Hanh quote about this, and it’s something like, can you let the person you thought you were fall away so that the person you really are can emerge, you know? Can you let that happen?

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
Because the clinging.

Brian
Yeah, yeah. We cling to those old patterns, right? Because those patterns, of course, are associated with safety and the known, like the known experience.

But we have to make a decision, actually. We actually have to decide at this point is, do I want to be the kind of person? Do I want to have or adopt the identity of a person who can experience inner peace on a regular basis?

And I think that’s interesting for some people, because some people may say no. Some people are like, listen, no, because of what they think it would mean if they could be the person who experienced inner peace more often than what that would mean for their current life and their current identity, right? So there can be a little trap in there for people.

Ani
And I think the perception of what would have to be let go of.

Brian
Yeah.

Ani
It’s just a perception, because while we’re in that space, we don’t really know what it’s going to look like on the other side. You don’t know until you’re on the other side.

Brian
Yeah, exactly. Because then we might think, well, if I’m a person who experiences inner peace, then, you know, my kids, the house is going to be a disaster, and who’s going to clean up after the kids, and the jelly’s all over the floor, and the dishes won’t get done, and the laundry, because we, do you know what I mean? So.

Ani
I relate very much. That’s exactly what I thought when I first met you.

Brian
You’re like, he looks like he’s having inner peace. And no, like, I’ve got to do all the work and clean up the house.

Ani
I’m the family, and you were a person who was more able to kind of let things go. And I was, my belief was if I let it go, like that, that we were just going to live in this awful pigsty. I did see something funny on Instagram the other day, that said I wish my house looked like nobody lived in it. Yeah, right. It’s funny. I thought that was funny. Yeah.

Brian
These are some of these little catches and these little snags that can come up in this process. But once you decide that you can formulate that identity, you can formulate that inner pattern, become a person who can experience inner peace on a regular basis, what happens is you actually end up living in the flow of life. So, yeah, the dishes still get done, the jelly still gets cleaned up off the floor, the litter box still gets scooped and all that stuff. But now you’re living in the flow of life rather than fighting it all the time.

Ani
And things are way more funny.

Brian
Yeah. There’s just a sense of light-heartedness.

Ani
When you take things so personally, and you take life less personally. I think there’s just way more laughter.

Brian
Yeah. So there’s some wonderful phrases that come out of a lot of the contemplative traditions and those kinds of things around this. One of them that I like is being in the world, but not of it. That’s an idea. Once you adopt that, there’s a sense of just being in the world, but not of the world. You’re still living in the world because you’re human. But you’re not relating to the world the way that most people relate to the world.

Ani
Yeah. I think one of the reasons why people don’t have inner peace is because everything rubs them. Yeah. Everything rubs them. When you have more inner peace, things just don’t rub you so much.

Brian
The thing is you’re still contributing to the world, too. It’s not like you’re just stepping out and becoming a monk in a cave or something like that. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. That’s great. Most people are living in the world, and the world we’re living in can use some more peacefulness. That’s right. So rather than waiting for the outside world, to generate the conditions for me to have inner peace. The idea is to cultivate inner peace so that that inner state is projected back out onto the world. And that’s really how reality is created. So when you look outside and you see all the outer chaos, that’s really a projection of people’s inner chaos. And the more people experience more inner peace, you’d have more outer peace in the world. So we really have to start this on an individual basis because we really can’t go around and tell other people to experience inner peace if we haven’t really done that for ourselves. And we do get in that flow of contribution. There’s another wonderful saying from the Daoist philosophy, which is doing, not doing, which means that, yes, you’re living in the world, you’re doing things, but you’re doing it as a flow of the natural forces of life.

Brian
You’re literally living in the flow of the natural laws or of nature, of the Dao, is the way, is how that’s translated as, just in the natural way of things. You’re just living in that flow.

Ani
Yeah. The ripple effect, the multiplication of peacefulness and compassion and kindness that can be perpetuated when an individual lives from that place is quite profound. It’s not a one on one translation. It’s a one to many translation. It really does make a difference when you look out at the world and you wish you could do more doing your practices, following these steps to create inner peace actually can create a more peaceful place for everyone.

Brian
For everybody, yeah. It’s really letting go of our over, go back to identity again, of our over-identification with our small self or our ego self, the way we see ourselves in the world and have more of a perspective come from the larger aspects of our self, what we’re connected to larger than our individual selves. If you’re listening to that and being like, What the heck is he talking about? This becomes more of a realization as you’re on that pathway towards inner peace, which starts with, go back to, get safe, physiologic coherence, nervous regulation, transcend limiting beliefs, adopt an identity that you can be someone who experiences inner peace, and then these things start to actually make more sense to you.

Ani
There’s that paradox, too, that we can create tremendous amount of goodness in the world when we take time for our practice.

Brian
Yes.

Ani
It does seem paradoxical, but I think a lot of people are really, really, really, really, super busy and stressed and just one thing to the next thing to the next. Taking that stand for yourself in your personal practice becomes the thing that create those powerful ripples and the transformation that you want to make in the world. It’ll also just make your life easier and better as well.

Brian
Yeah. Figure out where you are on that spectrum. If we just loop back to where we started. Remember, inner peace or finding inner peace is on a spectrum. It may be that you’re on that side of the spectrum with complete chaos. It might be that you’re on the side of the spectrum where more days of experiencing inner peace than chaos. But figure out where you are. Then the question always is, what direction am I moving? Which direction am I going today? Because that’s a choice. That’s a decision. If we always are shooting for the moon or the top of the mountain, it takes a little while even to pass by that. Never mind camp out on it or live there. Just takes a while just to even see it through the cloud thing. But if you’re pointed in that direction, then every day you are experiencing more and more inner acquiescence is the other word I’d like. That’s a great- Inner quiescence, inner equanimity, cheerful indifference. I do like that word. Yeah, those kinds of things.

Ani
It’s fun to say. Yeah. Make sure you’re pointed in the right direction.

Brian
If this episode struck a chord inside of you, share it with a friend, leave a comment or review on the podcast for us. Send us your questions. Let us know what you thought about it, and we’d love to help you keep moving in that direction.

Ani
Yeah. We’ll see you next time. Bye for now.