Shanti, Shalom, Peace
Nothing Broken, Nothing Missing
It’s said that the real goal of yoga is serenity and peace. It’s not the yoga pose, or balancing for long periods, or gaining flexibility and strength – it is equanimity; having an evenness of the mind, a calm temper, always patient, remaining calm, steady in composure. Having equanimity is existing in a realm where circumstances don’t shake us.
Oh!! How wonderful a life that is lived unaffected by the chaos of the world around it. To achieve this we must love peace, pursue peace in all circumstances, and most importantly bring peace wherever we go. We should be the peacemakers in every situation; settling disputes, refusing to be offended, repaying evil with good. Our yoga practice helps us tremendously on this journey to peace. But, what exactly is peace and how do we achieve it?
Yoga encourages practitioners to connect with their inner selves and learn to let go of all the things that hold us back from being happy and peaceful. Such as worldly attachments and fleshly disturbances – unhealthy bodies, unhealthy eating, unhealthy actions, and especially unhealthy thinking. The yoga masters of the past understood that if you don’t take care of yourself spiritually and physically, then you will struggle to find peace and equanimity in your mind.
“If we practice it [yoga] without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness . . .” — K. Pattabhi Jois
Shanti (शान्ति ) is the Sanskrit word that we translate into peace. It means tranquillity, peace, rest, quietness, calmness, absence of passion, welfare, prosperity, good fortune, ease, comfort, happiness, bliss “eternal rest” end or death https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/
What an amazing word! The amazing depth of meaning this word encompasses is extraordinary. It could be the very thing that we all long for in the depths of our souls!
In both Hindu and Buddhist practices, Shanti is often chanted three times to represent threefold peace in body, mind, and spirit. In yoga, the mantra Om Shanti Shanti Shanti is often used at the end of a practice as an invocation of inner peace. This same mantra may also be used to close a Hindu or Buddhist worship service as a blessing of peace over the congregation.
Om Shant Shant Shanti
- The first Shanti is a means of cleansing and purifying the body of suffering.
- The second Shanti is a means of relieving the mind of negative feelings and worries.
- The third Shanti is believed to touch the spirit of the individual.
In India, Om Shanti is also commonly used as a greeting upon meeting or parting with another person, much in the same way that Namaste is used and just as Shalom is used in Hebrew culture. In this sense, Om Shanti is translated in English as “peace be with you.’”
In meditation practice, Om Shanti can also be used as a mantra to develop concentration and focus in the mind.
As a Christian myself, I know that I am expected to pursue peace as well. Jesus tells us that “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Here are a couple other quotes from scripture . . .
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. – John 14:27
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. – Romans 12:18
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. – Isaiah 26:3
I was so intrigued by the definition of Shanti that I looked up our English definition of Peace. . .
Peace (English)- a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there’s no fighting or war, everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/peace
This definition definitely falls very short compared to the vast depth that Shanti gives us. There’s nothing in the English definition of Peace that refers to the health of the body, mind, or spirit. There’s no health, rest, prosperity, eternal rest, etc. So, I got curious about the original meanings of the word peace in my English-translated Bible.
The Bible tells us that God created every spoken language (Genesis 11), and I believe the languages used in the Bible were specifically chosen by God to best communicate with us the things He wanted us to know. In the Old Testament the word Peace is Shalom (Hebrew), and in the New Testament, the word Peace, is Eirene (Greek). Let’s check out the definitions of these two words.
Shalom (Hebrew)- šālōm is a Hebrew word meaning peace of body, healthy and sound. Secure, tranquil. Wholeness, safety, soundness, and health. A friend. Shalom is also used idiomatically to mean hello. (https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7965) The ancient Hebrew meaning of shalom was “to make something whole”. Not just regarding practical restoration of things that were lost or stolen. But with a sense of fullness and completeness in mind, body, and spirit. It is often said that Shalom means “Nothing Broken, Nothing Missing”.
Shalom encompasses body, mind, and spirit and has a very rich depth of meaning just as the ancient Sanskrit word, Shanti.
The Greek word which is translated to English as Peace; Eirḗnē, i-ray’-nay;(Greek) εἰρήνη – peace, harmony, tranquility, safety. Rest. Welfare, health; with no strife. (From the root word eirō , “to join, tie together into a whole” properly, wholeness , i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace. God’s gift of wholeness. ) https://bibleapps.com/greek/1515.htm
What I find interesting is that the Sanskrit word, Shanti, the Hebrew word, Shalom, and the Greek word, Eirḗnē, all encompass health and wellness, prosperity, rest, and wholeness of the body, mind, and spirit. All three are used as a greeting as well. Our English word, peace, doesn’t do the true meaning of Shanti, Shalom, or Eirene justice.
Maybe a better translation would be the English word, Wholeness.
Wholeness means soundness, health, and well-being in body, mind, soul, or spirit, or the state of being not broken, injured, or damaged. It also means the state of including the full amount or extent of something, or all parts of something, with nothing missing. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wholeness
My yoga journey has taught me to seek wholeness. I have a deep desire to utilize every aspect of my being. Yoga encourages us to dive deep within and find our true selves. I want people to be aware that they are so much more than just a body with a mind. We have this whole other aspect within us, we have a spiritual body. We can’t connect with God with our physical bodies or our souls because God is Spirit. It is our spiritual selves that can make that connection and those who first brought yoga to civilization knew that.
This is why I’ve named my practice Spirit Body Yoga. What is a life lived if it never acknowledges the very essence of who it is? If we can’t see that we have a triune nature (3 parts-in-1), then we won’t ever experience true wholeness. We won’t be able to understand that our physical self affects our soul self and our spirit self. If I am unhealthy in my body, it will affect my thinking (soul), if my thinking is negative, it will affect my spirit. But, the worst scenario of all is that I never even acknowledge I am a spirit and therefore never find a connection with God and never achieve true wholeness.
What is a life lived if it never acknowledges the very essence of who it is?
When I opened the studio I picked a scripture to represent Spirit Body Yoga Studio:
“Dear friends, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” 3 John 2 NLT
I want to help guide my friends, those in my community, and those in my world into a place of wholeness. Where they are living out their lives in fullness and connection to the One who created them. Because I know that if you can acknowledge all aspects of who you are; taking care of your body, bringing stability to your soul, and seeking a relationship with God through your spirit– you WILL find the path to wholeness. Wholeness is balance in our triune nature and when we are in balance then equanimity is possible.
Now may the God of peace (gr. Eirḗnē) Himself sanctify you entirely (gr. holotelēs– means complete, whole in all respects – absolutely perfect); and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete (gr. holoklēros, entirely whole and perfectly sound, complete in every part) without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:23
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