We live in challenging and strange times. The levels of tension, anxiety and anger have just been amplified courtesy of tomorrow’s full moon and penumbral lunar eclipse as well as some other stirring astrology.

In the picture , I am not taking my temperature (which I may have to do every day when we return to the office and re-open again), I am placing my hands in a balancing position. One hand on the forehead, the other on the hara, our energetic core and center, which is 1-2 inches below the navel. Try it. Breathe slowly and deeply into hara - and make the exhales longer than the inhales. Practice this for 5-10 minutes to restore balance and give your nervous system an opportunity to reset.

When life is unsettling and the storms of life cause unrest and unease, we need to tap into our inner calm, our inner strength, even more, so that we don’t get tossed around by emotions.

Maybe you’ll find these words from The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, page 63, helpful and inspiring as well:
 
“… be a reservoir of joy, an oasis of peace, a pool of serenity that can ripple out to all those around you.”

With joy, they don’t mean having fun and being jolly, they are talking about “a more empathic, more empowered, even more spiritual state of mind that is totally engaged with the world… peace must come from within. We cannot bring peace if we do not have inner peace.”
 
Peace must come from within.

We have heard this plenty of times. We know it, but can we feel and live it?
 
As we continue to navigate life, with all its twists and turns, maybe these questions and their answers will help you be more anchored:

How can I be at peace today?

What brings me joy and peace?
  
Today and every day, may the Tibetan prayer of the Four Immeasurables accompany you:
 
May all beings attain happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings never be separated from joy.
May all beings abide in equanimity.