Finding Your Center: The "I AM THAT PEACE" Practice

Peace isn't something that happens to us when everything in life aligns perfectly. It's not waiting on the other side of our next accomplishment, relationship, or lifestyle change. Peace is our natural state - an intrinsic quality of awareness that's always available, regardless of external circumstances.

When you wear our "I AM THAT PEACE" apparel, you're making a profound statement: Peace isn't something you're seeking, it's what you already are at your core.

The Misconception of Peace

Many of us have been conditioned to view peace as:

• An absence of conflict

• A temporary state dependent on external conditions

• Something we achieve through effort

• A future goal to work toward

This perspective keeps peace perpetually out of reach. If peace requires perfect conditions, we'll spend our lives chasing it but never fully experiencing it.

The "I AM THAT PEACE" philosophy offers a radical alternative: Peace is your essence. It's not something to attain but to recognize and remember.

The Science of Embodied Peace

Research in neuropsychology supports this understanding. Studies show that our baseline state - when we're not caught in stress, worry, or reactivity - is one of relative ease and wellbeing. The stress response is designed to be temporary, while homeostasis (our body's balanced state) is designed to be our default.

When we practice embodying peace, we're actually returning to our natural state rather than creating something new.

Notable findings:

• The parasympathetic nervous system (our "rest and digest" mode) promotes regeneration, healing, and clarity

• Regular reconnection with our peaceful center creates new neural pathways, making peace more accessible over time

• People who identify with peace as their core state show greater resilience in facing challenges

Daily Practices to Embody Peace

1. Peace Pauses: Throughout your day, use your "I AM THAT PEACE" apparel as a trigger to take three conscious breaths. With each exhale, mentally repeat "I am that peace" while letting your body soften.

2. Peace Walking: During a regular walk, synchronize your steps with the phrase

"I am (step) that peace (step)." Let your body move in rhythm with this remembrance.

3. Peace Response: In challenging moments - traffic, difficult conversations, work pressure - place a hand over your heart and silently acknowledge "I am that peace." Not to bypass the situation, but to respond from your center rather than reactivity.

4. Peace Scan: Before sleep, lie down and mentally scan your body from feet to head. With each area, mentally affirm "That is peace" or "Peace is here." Notice how peace is already present in different parts of your body.

Peace Beyond Personal

The peace we're referring to transcends personal experience. It's not just "my peace" but Peace itself - the universal ground of being that Eastern traditions call our "true nature" and Western contemplative traditions call "the peace that passes understanding."

When you fully embody "I AM THAT PEACE," you become a walking invitation for others to recognize this same quality within themselves. Without saying a word, your presence reminds others of what they too carry within.

Peace Isn't Passive

A common misconception is that peace equals passivity or complacency. Nothing could be further from the truth. Embodied peace is dynamic and engaged. From this centered place:

• We can take decisive action without reactivity

• We can set necessary boundaries with compassion

• We can advocate for justice without being consumed by anger

• We can face difficulty with an inner steadiness

Some of history's greatest changemakers - from Gandhi to MLK Jr. - acted from a place of deep inner peace, proving that peace can be a powerful force for transformation.

Join the Practice

As you wear your "I AM THAT PEACE" apparel, remember that you're not just wearing a mindful message - you're participating in an ancient practice of remembering your essential nature.

Share your experiences of embodying peace with our community using #IAMTHISPEACE. How does this simple reminder shift your daily experience? How does it change your interactions with others?

In a world desperately seeking peace in all the wrong places, be the remembrance that peace isn't something to find - it's what we already are.