Being happy and stress-free is vital to living a long, healthy life. Juggling work, family, social relationships and everything else that life throws our way can make it difficult to attain the feeling of inner peace that so many of us crave. The path towards finding this inner peace will be a little different for every individual, however, there are a few approaches that we can all take that have already helped many achieve their own personal harmony.
Whether you take up meditation or yoga or embark on one of the famous spiritual crusades found around the world (such as the well-traveled El Camino de Santiago Spanish pilgrimage, popular Inca Trail in South America or the newer St. Paul Trail in Turkey), following one or all of these practices can be a great place to start your quest for a more tranquil life.
Meditation
Meditation is one of the oldest and most favored methods of finding inner peace and happiness. There are several meditation disciplines that one can perform, some of the most basic being mindfulness, sitting, transcendental, Kundalini, Qigong and guided visualization; all meant to minimize external and internal distractions that keep your mind overwhelmed. Though each technique has a different way of bringing a person into a meditative state, some calling for an absolutely still body and others allowing free movement, they all focus on turning negative thoughts into positive ones through calming and quieting down the mind. Whichever type you decide is best for you, continue to carry it out until you find that relaxation has completely taken over.
Yoga
Much like meditation, yoga requires a great deal of concentration on the mind and body. The varying disciplines of yoga (restorative, vinyasa, hatha, Bikram, Iyengar, anusara and ashtanga) all have one thing at the core of their foundation, which is to train the mind to zero in on ridding the body of physical stress. Whether you engage in restful yoga poses or complicated pretzel twists, finding that important connection between mind, body and spirit is one of the most effective ways of acquiring serenity and becoming more healthy at the same time.
Pilgrimages
Practicing meditation or yoga for even a few minutes each day can help immensely with everyday stressors, but oftentimes, those seeking true inner peace need to fully take themselves outside of their everyday surroundings to find it. Numerous people have discovered that setting out on a pilgrimage is just the life-enhancing experience they needed. Pilgrimages are generally associated with spiritual beliefs and trails that lead to sacred holy destinations, however, there are many more reasons individuals have for taking part in such a journey. The ancient El Camino de Santiago Spanish pilgrimage (shown below) is one of the most well-known long distance paths for trekkers to turn to when on a mission for peace.
Ridding our lives of stress completely seems like an unattainable goal, but regularly revitalizing our emotional and mental states through meditation and yoga can lead to a feeling of calm, increase clarity and help find a sense of balance. And don’t hesitate to look even deeper within on a spiritual pilgrimage in a foreign land.
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License: Creative Commons image source- License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
Tiffany Olson is an avid blogger from Northern California and she loves all things spiritual related. She practices yoga and meditation regularly, and loves to share knowledge and experience about these practices.