Shanti: Cultivating Peace Within, Around, Beyond
As part of our ongoing exploration of the 12 Divine Qualities of the Heart, October invites us to focus on Shanti - Peace
What is Shanti?
The essence of peace invites us to connect with a deeper sense of calm that resonates not only within ourselves, but in our relationships, communities and the world around us.
In yogic tradition, Shanti (Sanskrit: शान्ति, Śānti) is more than just the absence of conflict, it's a state of balance, harmony and clarity that emerges when body, mind and heart are aligned.
One of the most well-known expressions of this virtue is the Shanti mantra:
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्ति: ~ Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Peace within, peace around, peace beyond
The threefold repetition reflects what yogic texts describe as the three dimensions of peace..
- Adhyatmika (अध्यात्मिक) - Peace within - calming disturbances in body, mind and emotions
- Adhibhautika (अधिभौतिक) - Peace around - cultivating harmony in our relationships and environment
- Adhidaivika (अधिदैविक) - Peace beyond - acknowledging and flowing with forces beyond our control, including nature, fate and the cosmos.
Through this mantra, we are reminded that peace is both a personal practice and a gift we can radiate outward.
Shanti in daily life
Even outside the studio or your yoga mat there's simple ways to invite this month’s theme into your day...
- Take a moment to pause and repeat the Shanti mantra (ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः) and observe how the vibration of peace begins to resonate on an inner level
- Reflect or journal on where in your life you can invite more peace into your own life and how it could ripple out to the lives of those around you
- Take a few slow, mindful breaths and feel the sensation of peace in your body, let it settle in your chest, soften your shoulders and flow through your body to the tips of your fingers and toes. Use this practice especially when you feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, or reactive, and notice how this energy of calm naturally touches not only your own experience but also how you interact with others.
Shanti: Practice With Peace with our Studio Manager Amanda
Peace is a practice, a choice and a gift and this October we have the opportunity to embody it together.
This full-spectrum practice including asana (poses), pranayama (breathwork), mudra (symbolic and energetic hand gestures), mantra and meditation invites you to embody the threefold wisdom of Shanti, cultivating peace within, radiating peace around, and sending peace out into the world and beyond. Suitable for all abilities.
📆 Saturday 18th October
⏰ 14:00–15:30
💰 £19 drop-in, 1 class credit, included in monthly and annual memberships