The Way of Inner Peace

In a time of uncertainty, high pace, and constant change, many people feel the need to reconnect with a deeper sense of calm and stability within themselves.
We interviewed course leader Jonathan Weber on the occasion of his new book The Way of Inner Peace – A Living Path Through a Troubled World. Here, he shares honestly from his own life journey, describing how, through practice, he has discovered that inner peace is not about avoiding life’s challenges, but about how we meet them.

What personal experiences or moments in your life inspired you to write The Way of Inner Peace – A Living Path Through a Troubled World?

The roots of this book go back to my early years in Berkeley and San Francisco around 1990–91, when I was involved in environmental and social activism, including protests against the Iraq War. At the same time, I was deeply inspired by the teachings of Ram Dass. I felt a strong call toward both personal awakening and contributing to a more peaceful world. I remember seeing the phrase “Inner peace is world peace” and recognizing that, while it felt true, I did not yet experience that peace within myself. That realization marked the beginning of a deeper commitment to yoga and mindfulness as a lived path.

Years later, that question became very real in my own life. I experienced chronic pain, loss, and the challenges of moving to Norway and rebuilding life while raising a child on my own. What I had once explored philosophically now had to be lived directly. I began to see that peace is not something we arrive at when life is easy, but something we cultivate in how we meet difficulty. This shift became the foundation for both my teaching and this book.

Many struggle with stress, uncertainty, and emotional challenges today. What is one practical idea from your book that readers can start applying immediately to feel more inner calm?

One simple and practical place to begin, which I explore in the book, is to reconnect with the world around you through the senses, especially through nature.

We often get caught in our thoughts, and the mind can become overwhelmed. But when we step outside, or pause where we are, we can begin to notice what is already here. The sound of the wind in the trees, birdsong, the feeling of the air on the skin, the colors of the natural world, even the smell of the earth after rain. These simple experiences help settle the mind and bring us back into a more grounded state.

At the same time, the deeper invitation in the book is about how we meet our experience. Not just noticing what is here, but learning to relate to it with more honesty, openness, and friendliness.

So, a simple practice could be this:

Pause, take a deep breath, and notice what is present, both around you and within you. See if it is possible to allow it to be there, just as it is, and to meet it with a little more kindness.
Se om det er mulig å la det få være akkurat slik det er, og møte det med litt mer vennlighet.

This small shift, repeated over time, begins to support a deeper sense of inner peace.

What does ‘inner peace’ personally mean to you today, compared to when you first began your journey?

In the beginning, I think I imagined inner peace as something I would reach, perhaps by stepping away from the complexity of ordinary life. I had the sense that if I could remove myself from the pressures of work, relationships, and daily responsibilities, then I might find a more stable and peaceful state.

Today, it feels very different. Inner peace is not about avoiding challenges, but about how I meet them. It is a moment-by-moment awareness of how I relate to what is happening. Can I remain steady in my mind and open in my heart, even as circumstances change?

Through practice, I have come to see that there is something deeper we can rest in, what many traditions point to as our true nature. A kind of open and spacious awareness that is already here, beneath the movements of thought and emotion. Learning to recognize this and return to it again and again has become one of the greatest supports for inner peace.

At the same time, this is not separate from life. The difficulties we face are not obstacles to the path, but part of it. They give us the opportunity to stay present, to keep the heart open, and to meet ourselves and others with honesty and care.

For me now, inner peace is not something outside of everyday life. It is something that can be found within it, even in the middle of stormy weather. A quiet sense of well-being that comes from not resisting my own experience, and from meeting life with awareness and an open heart.

How does this understanding of inner peace relate to the work you do in teaching Mindful Yoga?

For me, the connection is very direct. In Mindful Yoga, we begin with the body, as a way of coming into contact with our experience in a more immediate and honest way.

As we learn to feel the body, to notice tension, holding, and ease, we also begin to relate to ourselves differently. We practice meeting the body with friendliness, patience, and care. This helps the nervous system settle, and the mind often follows.

Over time, this way of relating begins to extend beyond the practice. The same qualities of awareness, kindness, and acceptance shape how we meet our thoughts, our emotions, and other people. In this way, the practice becomes a bridge. By learning to be more at ease within ourselves, we develop a greater capacity to meet life with clarity, care, and compassion.

Excerpt from the book:

Like standing steady on a boat
in rough waters,
we can move with life,
balanced from our center.

Inner peace is not dependent
on the state of the world,
but arises from within.

Kapitell 3 – Inner Peace Amidst Outer Turmoil

Jonathan Weber regularly holds retreats at Dharma Mountain. 

Next retreat is: 
Way of Inner Peace 23. – 27. september  

His book can be purchased during his retreats at Dharma Mountain or on Amazon.