3 Secret Cues to Feel Peaceful Inside

In this article I’ll show you three secrets to relaxing deeply. I say "secret" because you can use these simple techniques to feel peaceful inside without anyone else knowing what you're up to. These inner cues are also secret because they seem to have been lost in our culture. We are so caught up in the momentum of outer busyness that we’ve lost our natural ability to find inner calm. So, in this article, let’s explore how you can regain your peaceful center no matter what is going on around you.

You’re not alone if you have more to do than you have hours in the day. There are just so many demands on our energy and attention these days. If you’re constantly busy, overwhelmed by digital stimulation, and stressed out by the pressure to keep up, welcome to the high-speed information age.

Today, we interact more in virtual reality and less in-person. We are constantly bombarded with visual and auditory information and advertising. It’s a huge challenge to monitor all our digital devices, stay on top of our TO DO Lists, and have any semblance of sanity when it’s all said and done—and it’s never all said and done.

Because of all this mental input, we are less in touch with our bodies, feelings, and inner sensations. We also have less down-time, less personal space, and less access to quiet places. It’s no wonder that chronic stress is our number one health concern. We have lost our balance and our ability to relax deeply.

Yet, there’s hope. What if, in the midst of all this, you could find an oasis of inner calm? What if you could relax right here, right now, inside your own body? What if it was just a matter of following some simple inner prompts? Our body and brain have a natural relaxation response that you can learn to activate at will, anytime, anywhere.

Let’s explore three inner cues that free you from being caught up in the frenzy and connect you to a deeper peace that is always available when you know how to find it. You can remember them by 3S’s:

1. Space

2. Stillness

3. Silence

If you awaken these three inner sensations in your body, you’ll have three reliable cues that can take you to a place of deep relaxation no matter what is happening. Not only will these help you instantly feel better, they will even help you be more productive and efficient, while enjoying what you’re doing more.

So how can you experience inner space, stillness, and silence? I can show you how to do this very simply in your own body. If you’ll practice these simple suggestions right now, as I describe them to you, they will become more than just new bits of information in your brain. You’ll have a real, felt experience of what I’m talking about.

Let’s begin with inner space. You can practice this now by becoming aware of the feeling of the soles of your feet on the ground. . . Go ahead and try that. Feel the soles of your feet on the ground. . . Then shift your attention to feeling the palms of your hands. . . And then shift to feeling the top of your head. . .

Finally, see if it’s possible to feel your body as a whole from the inside. Can you feel the entire space inside your skin? . . .

Take a few, slow, deep breaths. Imagine and feel as if your whole body fills up as you inhale and your whole body empties out as you exhale. Take a few, slow, deep breaths in this way. . .

Now, do you have a feeling of your inner space, the space inside your skin?

Second, let’s focus on the feeling of stillness. Be as still as you can be and feel your whole inner space—perfectly still. Stay with that stillness feeling for a few moments. . .

Third, imagine that you are listening to a silence underneath all sounds. Imagine that there’s silence broadcasting deep inside your body and you are tuning into it. I suggest you don’t try to figure this out, just see if you can sense it. You may find that your mind gets real quiet for a moment as you do this. Listen to the silence underneath all sounds. . .

So, do you feel a little calmer? Do you feel a bit more peaceful and relaxed than before this little practice? Can you imagine how your life might be different if you make it a habit to take short breaks to practice these three cues throughout the day?

At first, these three cues may seem a bit “out there.” You may or may not get onto them fully right away. That’s O.K. and quite normal. We have allowed some of our inner senses to atrophy in our hyper-active culture.

If you can take even a few moments to feel your feet on the ground and take a few, slow, deep breaths, that’s a move in the right direction. The more you take these “little breathers” or “mini-meditations,” the more moments of peace you’ll bring into your life. Soon deep relaxation will become a reliable background experience that you can go to whenever you need.

To learn more about “inner body sensing” and “short meditations” to help you feel instantly peaceful, check out the Resource Box below.