Your thoughts are not your enemy. Let them come and go like waves on the ocean. Spiritual teacher Swami Jyothirmayah tells Agnieszka Rostkowska how to keep peace of mind.

Swami Jyothirmayah is difficult to get hold of. He travels the world teaching yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques. He lectures at universities and international conferences and oversees humanitarian aid projects. He personally conducts programs for prison inmates and rebels in conflict areas. He treats them with the same respect as the world leaders who seek his support in peace and interfaith initiatives. Swami exudes calm and kindness, and his distinctive feature is a radiant smile. Wherever he goes, crowds come to meet him.

Agnieszka Rostkowska: Probably everyone who has participated in your meditations or lectures asks themselves: how is it possible that his smile does not leave his face?

Swami Jyothirmayah: Smile doesn’t mean you always have to expand your lips and show your teeth. When I say “smile,” I mean the state of being genuine, including with ourselves. And it is also the result of looking at the world from a broader perspective, with the understanding that, as Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji, the founder of the Art of Living Foundation often emphasizes, life is a play of energy called prana. If your level of prana is high, you appreciate everything around you and start loving and respecting your life. However, when your energy level goes down, then even trivial things start disturbing and irritating you. You get frustrated, you