A Meditation Teacher Explains How to Find Peace In 16 Words
Thich Nhat Hanh does it again
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I almost never cross-pollinate between Medium and Substack but I like the message of this article so I wanted to share it with both of my audiences simultaneously.
If you follow me on both platforms - you’re awesome - thank you! But I apologise for the duplicate emails you will have received today.
Next week, I’ll get back to posting premium content solely for Substack.
But that’s next week…
For now, enjoy this uplifting message and have a beautiful weekend :)
Many spiritual leaders often say that there are two choices in life:
Do you choose love or do you choose fear?
This is echoed in a Native American story I adore.
An old Cherokee Indian chief was teaching his grandson about life.
He said, “A fight is going on inside me, a fight between two wolves.
The Dark one is evil — he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The Light Wolf is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The same fight is going on inside you grandson… and inside of every other person on the face of this earth.
The grandson ponders this for a moment and then asks, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee smiled and simply said, “The one you feed.”
One of the reasons why I love this so much is that it creates a visual to an abstract teaching. It brings imagination into play. And it makes it relatable.
If you’re anything like me, from an early age, you would have realised that good and evil exist. And they exist inside.
Sometimes I felt like I could do no wrong, while at other times it felt like I was possessed by the devil.
I never understood this at the time. It always felt like a lottery as to which version of myself would show up. But as I’ve gotten older, I know what that old Cherokee was getting at.
We can ‘feed the wolf’ in many ways — diet, sleep, relationships, substances, sex, social media, time in nature, work, mindfulness practices, religion, etc — and they all contribute in good and bad ways.
These mini decisions, undertaken on a daily basis, begin to colour our thoughts and shape our actions.
We then begin to act more from a place of love or more from a place of fear, and the quality of our life is determined by the strongest driving force.
A few years ago, Thich Nhat Hanh expressed a similar message:
“Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.”
As a breathwork facilitator, it’s my job to help people breathe better. So, I latched onto the first four words in this sentence because I’ve seen the benefits of breathing in my client’s life, as well as my own.
When it comes to feeding the wolf, nothing comes close to the breath because of its regularity.
Breathing directly affects the rhythm of the heart, the speed of the nervous system, and the function of the brain, so it’s vital in what we think and how we feel.
If it’s fast and erratic, the heart will beat faster, the nervous system will be on high alert, and the brain will be narrow-focused and sharp. This will spike adrenaline and cortisol levels and slow digestion as the body gets ready to fight or flee.
If it’s slow and smooth, the heart will beat slower, the nervous system will remain regulated, and both hemispheres of the brain will be in harmony. This will raise dopamine and serotonin levels and balance the blood’s pH levels because the body is open, relaxed, and functioning optimally.
So every breath — if it’s slow and smooth — can feed the Light Wolf and encourage feelings of joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, and compassion.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the preferable option when the other is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The simplest way to do this is to become aware of your breath. Breathe through your nose and slow your breathing rhythm down. This will immediately regulate your nervous system and create homeostasis.
Rhythmical breathing is a great way to do this.
Here’s how to practice it:
Breathe in through your nose (smoothly and without force) for 4 seconds
Breathe out through your nose or mouth (smoothly and without force) for 4 seconds
Leave no pauses at the top of the inhale or at the bottom of the exhale
Continue up to 5 minutes or 40 breaths to get the best results.
If four seconds feels too long, start with two or three seconds instead. Then once your breath is calmer, make it longer and deeper. As long as you’re breathing rhythmically, the number of seconds doesn’t really matter
If you want to go one step further, add a couple of breathing exercises into your day.
Below are five of my favourite hand-picked daily exercises for you to explore.
5 Fabulous Breathing Exercises For Everyday Life
If you want to go one step beyond that, add a 20-minute breathwork session into your daily routine.
My favourite is Soma Breath as it combines rhythmical breathing with breath holds. But there are lots of options to choose from, so have fun exploring and find your way :)