Based on Michael's #1 Bestselling Book
This program is based on my 35 years of guiding others on their life journeys. I have put together my tried and true practices, diagrams, and teachings into an accessible online format for the first time.
Welcome to the Peace Within Course
The Peace Within Process for integrative wellness is the distillation of Michael’s last 35 years of guiding others on their life journeys. Drawn from his experiences as an integrative psychologist, yoga/meditation teacher and wilderness guide he wanted to put all of this into an easily accessible book and online program. Although he is retired from his professional work as a psychologist, he still enjoys guiding others educationally through his online offerings.
There are 10 modules in the full training program. Modules follow the format of the book and cover, The Peace Within Process, Peace Within Your Day, Peace Within the Body, Peace Within the Heart, Peace Within the Mind, and Peace Within the Self, Peace Within The Soul, Peace Within Relationship, Peace Within Life and Peace Within Death. This program is not intended as therapy, but for educational and informational purposes for those interested in deepening their understanding of themselves, others and the world around them.
Stressed? Overwhelmed?
We are all overwhelmed, stressed and traumatized by future shock, information overload and data smog like never before. Obsessive thoughts, depression, anxiety and insomnia have become epidemic in our fast paced, consumer driven, materialistic society.
Relationship Struggles?
With divorce rates on the rise and a digital addiction epidemic, it is more challenging today than ever before to find authentic connection with ourselves and others in our fast paced world.
Lonely and Tired?
In our culture we are taught to look outside of ourselves for happiness. Once we get this job, find this person or achieve this goal, THEN we will be happy and fulfilled. The truth is peace is an inside job and often it is facing our feelings and ourselves just as we are that we begin the genuine, true and authentic path towards finding lasting peace within our lives and relationships.
Module 1 -
The Peace Within Process
This module introduces you to the main concepts in the Peace Within process, core principles, core tools and an overview of the modules and how best to work through them. You will learn about the emotional circulatory system, and the dual components of deep breathing and compassionate awareness to bring more peace into your life and relationships.
Module 2 -
Peace Within Your Day
This module builds on the basic concepts and core tools by introducing you to four easy, accessible and effective self-care practices (the centering breath, finding your center, releasing into the now and grounding). These are micro-meditations that help you punctuate your day and will also be the starting point for journaling exercises and longer meditations to come.
Module 3 -
Peace Within Your Body
In module 3 we move from basic breath and body awareness practices that can be done at any time, anywhere, to deeper meditations that are more powerful and time intensive. Where compassionate awareness is the heart of the Peace Within Process, and breathwork is the spine, these meditations are putting flesh and bones to the practice.
Module 4 -
Peace Within Your Mind
This module builds on the previous mindfulness of body and breath practices to mindfulness of thoughts and thinking (thought awareness). As we move from breath and body awareness to thought awareness we begin to learn to quiet the mind through stepping back from our thoughts and allowing them to float by like clouds in the sky.
Module 5 -
Peace Within Your Heart
We now move from breath, body and thought awareness practices to mindfulness of emotions. What makes the Peace Within Process so powerful and effective is the use of journaling meditation to work with your emotional life. Most meditation practices, including yoga, give emotions little attention. This module gives you the tools to work with your emotions skillfully, creatively, and effectively.
Module 6 -
Peace Within Your Self
After practicing breath, body, thought and feeling awareness with compassion we now move toward the powerful practice of self-compassion. We begin to notice our self-talk and learn to replace negative conditioned self-talk with a healthier approach towards our inner experience. We also begin to see how our social selves are only a part of us and that who we really are is beyond any role we play in our life. Learning how to be with ourselves in a more soulful, heartfelt way helps foster inner peace.
Module 7 -
Peace Within Your Soul
This is my personal favorite module. What sets this program apart from many other meditation programs is its emphasis on the heart and soul. The soul is our essential inner true nature. In this module, you'll be introduced to a powerful diagram that helps you see the difference between ego, self and soul. This module has wonderful practices for helping you discover who you truly are, your life mission, purpose and deepest heart's longing.
Module 8 -
Peace Within Relationship
This module introduces us to how to be ourselves and hold our center, while being in relationship which requires honoring the others center and truth, while not abandoning our own. These exercises remind us to be 100% responsible for our own health and wellbeing while being compassionate and accepting of other peoples' truths and needs. These practices are an antidote to our culture of co-dependency.
Module 9 -
Peace Within Life
This module explores our relationship with life itself. We put expectations on life as we do on a relationship. We either trust or don’t trust life and often fantasize another life. Fundamentally, most believe peace is found not within life, but divorced from life. This module explores and challenges us to find Peace Within Life itself and how necessary it is to forgive life and find peace within the lives we are living.
Module 10 -
Peace Within Death
All the practices within the program culminate in this final module where we explore how to find peace in the most challenging place of all - in the death of those we love and when facing our own mortality. We discover through these practices that death itself, like sleep, is not the enemy, but an intimate ally in the process of waking up to who we really are.
