Finding our pockets of peace
I was recently sent the picture below by a friend who found herself in the Accidents and Emergency (A&E) department of the hospital she works in.
As her workday was coming to an end, she felt a pain in her chest and thought it better to have it checked. Thankfully, she works in a hospital and A&E is within quick reach. After several tests and an overnight stay, she went home without a root cause for her pain. All tests showed nothing untoward.
I was in Colombo when she messaged me about her experience along with the above picture with her message, ‘planning to do more of this…’
My reply to her, after asking her how she was and what her next steps were, was ‘nice in theory tough in reality. Experiencing these within our hectic schedules is where the magic lies.’
Pockets of peace, I later labelled it when I met up with her upon my return. And she agreed. Finding our pockets of peace amidst our hectic schedules/routines is what we need more of.
So, how do we find moments that feel like we have no schedule, are on an unplanned adventure, true silliness, and more?
The simple but not easy answer is ‘to experience these within ourselves.’ To go within ‘on demand’ when we need ‘the moments’ the most. I am not saying that having ‘real’ days with no schedules, unplanned adventures or true silliness doesn’t matter or is not important. They are. BUT sometimes we may not be able to experience them when we want.
A long while ago, I remember telling my late mother, when we were in India, that the sages who ‘escaped’ to the mountains or ashrams to find peace (through meditation and relinquishing the ‘worldly’ life) were ‘cheating’. ‘That’s easy’ I said. Because they left ‘reality’ behind.
Peace is being able to ‘experience it’ even in the middle of a busy Indian (road) junction (which is often chaotic). The way to find peace is to ‘call it on demand from within us’ wherever, whenever without having to go to the mountains (or have unplanned adventures or days with no schedules). This is where the magic lies, in my humble opinion.
And at the heart of this magic is choice and the freedom to choose. Choice on how we want to experience the moment, and the freedom (to choose) that it gives us. Choice is the cause and effect!
The instant we feel we don’t have a choice, we feel trapped, get stressed, and sometimes give up.
My friend is still undergoing various tests to ensure that nothing is missed. She had milder pains after her visit to the A&E. She is under some stress at work, and I believe that when she finds her pockets of peace within her context her pains will subside.
This article has gotten a little deeper than I expected. But this is where my thoughts took me.
On a lighter note, I did venture out of my hotel in Colombo and took some pictures in the Mount Lavinia area.
The first is of a beautiful Buddhist shrine, decorated for Wesak, enclosing a Bodhi (or Bo) tree. And the local YMCA - truly unique! That offers Zumba classes (for females only), a tennis club, and tennis lessons from local tennis coaches.
As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com