People do many things to make themselves feel better; for instance, shopping, eating, drinking, or binge watching Making a Murderer. The act of consoling oneself comes in many forms, most being self-destructive.  I’m guilty of all of the above.  It takes an especially strong and confident person to view setbacks as temporary. These people have inner peace.

Unfortunately, finding inner peace is easier said than done. Humans weren’t created with a “reset” button, or, what I would call, an Inner Peace Button.  The trick is to find that elusive high of happiness more often and making it last.

Swami Satchidananda said, “Nothing can bring you lasting happiness and inner peace . . . for you have it already if you just quiet down your mind and body enough to experience it.”  Swami Satchidananda was a spiritual leader from India who brought awareness of various yoga practices to the west.  His real name is really long, but just picture an Indian fellow with white hair and a really long white beard dressed in a wizard outfit, and that’s him.

“Satchidananda” is defined as.

Sat means Existence or Truth. Chid is the expression, knowledge, of it. Ananda is the Bliss you get out of it. So Truth, Knowledge, Bliss is what we mean by the word Satchidananda. In a way, the meaning could be compared to the Holy Trinity.

Some Catholics may not like the comparison to the Holy Trinity, but I understand this simple explanation more than I have ever understood anything in church.  The first time I heard the word “Ananda” and learned the meaning, I loved it.  I even want to tattoo it on my body hoping it will be my “reset” button.  The only thing holding me back is the Catholic guilt of skipping the first two steps.  When I figure out how to simply achieve Ananda, I will post my tips.

In the meantime, stopping to reflect using meditation, yoga, or maybe punching yourself in the face a few times, will take your mind off of your troubles and quiet your mind.  I wish you all the peace in the world.  Happy hunting.

Carpe Diem and Anada