Giving Peace A Chance
I came up with a game plan to calm the chaos long enough to experience true peace.
Recently, I asked the universe to provide me with a sign of guidance — and I asked specifically for a sign that I would understand and remember! Almost immediately, a song popped into my head. I heard very clearly, “All we are saying is give peace a chance,” on a constant loop. As a child of the 1960’s, I was certainly aware of John Lennon’s insightful and impactful thoughts on peace, particularly regarding war and global upsets and uprisings.
But how did this song relate to me in my life now? What was my message?
This song is as relevant today as it was in 1969 when it first came out, given all that is happening in the world, yet I felt the song message was more of an internal prompting and not-so-subtle nudge to fully examine what peace means to me.
So, I asked myself these questions:
What would it be like if I gave peace a chance in my life?
Would I even recognize what peace felt like?
Would I be able to calm the chaos long enough to experience true peace?
How would I even begin?
I came up with a game plan to answer these questions.
Meditation
I’m not the best meditator. I can be quite ungrounded or so grounded I’m on the verge of snoring (depending on my level of relaxation). My mind kicks into overdrive and my imagination runs rampant making obtaining the Zen state a challenge. I needed a strategy to calm the mind beast.
My solution came to me just before a meditation snore. As I go into meditation, I say in my head and out loud, “At this moment, no one expects anything from me,” followed by three deep breaths. I instantly feel relaxed.
I then declare, “At this moment, I put down anything that I expect from myself” followed by three deep breaths. This statement was quite emotional for me. I had never given myself permission to take a break from all the busyness of life and its expectations. There were more than a few tears shed once I allowed myself to let go.
Breathing
I do know how to breathe (which comes in handy when you are alive), but I was always a shallow breather. That is until I saw this wonderful 4-7-8 breathing technique video from Dr. Andrew Weil. It is a very simple technique that provided me with such powerful results, and I was so relaxed after a very short period of time. My muscles were thrilled that I was finally letting the tension, stress and anxiety go.
I use this breathing technique often, especially when I am trying to get to sleep.
I was making progress! There was still one piece of the finding peace puzzle remaining: setting my intention and putting it out into the universe.
Generative Questions
I love generative questions! This process reminds me of when I was a little kid and I believed that anything was possible. I could be anything and do anything without limits. Generative questions give you permission to set an intention in the most glorious ways.
The questions hold the energy of limitless expansion.
So, I started crafting my questions to not only bring myself more peace but to fully embody the experience. Saying these questions out loud is very powerful.
What would it be like to live a peaceful life?
What would it feel like to be fully at peace?
What would my life look like if I embraced peace in every moment?
I took a chunk of quiet, uninterrupted time and started with the 4-7-8 breathing technique to relax my body. I meditated (without snoring), allowing myself to let go of anyone’s expectations of me, including my own. I stated my intention by asking generative questions and sat quietly.
I was not prepared for what happened next. A deep, gut-wrenching sob took hold of my body. I tapped into a profound sense of longing for a peaceful existence. Peace to just be me, acceptance of myself, and the willingness to let go of the drama, stress, tension, and expectations. I felt overwhelming sadness in all areas of my body. I allowed myself to feel, intuitively knowing that this was the beginning of the healing process, and the portal to my ultimate goal of inner and outer peace.
Then like rays of sunshine peeking through dense clouds, I felt lighter and brighter. My breathing became deeper, my smile broader.
I now make more conscious decisions in my life. I ask myself if this action, person, or situation will bring me peace. This clarity has helped guide me in ways I never dreamed possible.
All I needed to do was give peace a chance.
Lisa Fontanella provides digital marketing and virtual assistant services to holistic practitioners and businesses. She is the proud author of the children’s book Crystal’s Quest: An Adventure into the World of Gemstones. Lisa is a Reiki Master, holistic practitioner, and empowerment coach.
