Pathways To Inner Peace And Wellbeing

“In today’s rush, we all think too much, seek too much, want too much, and forget about the joy of just being.” –Eckhart Tolle

l k n e x p e r t

Our da ys ar e bombard ed with di strac tions and str essor s, which become a deterrent to inner peace. Life is fragmented and disconnected. Our minds race at a frenetic pace creating an unenjoyable state of being. We live in a hurry-up, go-do state of life.

If you stop and sit for just 30 minutes, what churns in your mind – silence and openness, memories and dreams, OR problems and responsibilities? In most minds, there is no stillness or silence. Our minds reel trying to solve problems while balancing life and work. It is a maze of who, what, where, how, and what-ifs.

Offering equine assisted psychotherapy and business development, Katie Stankiewicz is a Certified Leadership Coach and Advanced Certified Equine Specialist. She is the owner of Willow Equine (www WillowEquinetherapy.com) and Sole to Souls Connections, a program dedicated to our military and their families’ mental health. You can reach Katie at 704.237.0644.

A helpful mindfulness exercise is to close your eyes, take a deep breath in, hold it, and then release all the air and heaviness out. Repeat your breath work two more times and on the last breath imagine your roots extending from your feet, which are connecting to Mother Earth. Your roots extend deep into her soil, allowing whatever negative thoughts, emotions, or experiences to be released from your body into the core of Mother Earth.

It is at this point you begin your journey toward meditation and mindfulness. Terms which are increasingly used in conjunction with improved mental, physical, and spiritual

wellbeing. You detach from outside stimuli and quiet yourself. Your focus is on being in the present, totally engaged in experiential experiences without judgement. It is the pause, the deep breath, the emersion of yourself that produces the calm inner peace. This practice slows you down, engaging your world and allowing you to live in the moment.

Make a commitment to slow down, be present, and connect. Active listening is a hard and important skill. You commit to a conversation to truly hear and feel what is being said. You are centered and engaged in that moment. Release random thoughts and judgmental nuances. Eye contact binds the moment. This solidifies your intention to be more aware. It is the measure of what is going on around you. You are choosing to live, to be more creative, and to be more considerate of yourself and others.

Mindfulness engulfs the senses. Notice your world through your senses with pleasure. Immerse yourself in tastes, sights, and sounds. Nature and mindfulness go hand-in-hand so enjoy the beauty around you. Take in the rays of sunshine, the intricacies of a wooded path, the song of a bird … stop, breathe, embrace. You are in that moment and that moment alone. You are grounded and subsequently freed from negative energy.