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The Process of Establishing the True Foundation for the Practice of the Integral Yoga · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Establishing peace and quietness in the being is not a matter of
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  intellectual determination, rather, it is a concrete
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  experience that comes with the action of the force that
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  descends into the being from higher ranges of consciousness.
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  Many believe that it is a matter of disciplining oneself not to
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  react to circumstances. Stoicism and similar disciplines
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  try to suppress and overcome the reactions, and to a certain
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  degree such methods may provide some help initially.
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  At the same time, such methods are imperfect, subject to
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  failure under extreme provocation, and are primarily
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  external controls, not necessarily a true peace and
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  quietude inwardly. Just as the mental quiet is
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  focused on stealing the ripples of the mind stuff, so the true
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  experience of peace and quietude in the practice of yoga comes
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  through the stilling of the inward vibrational pattern, or
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  at least the separation of the witness consciousness from the
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  external nature, so that all the ripples take place on the
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  surface and don't affect the witness.
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  The experience of this deep peace and the widening of the
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  being is something palpable and not to be confused with either
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  suppression of reactions or a dulling of the awareness, Sri
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  Aurobindo writes. Quote At last you have the true
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  foundation of the Sadhna. This calm peace and surrender
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  are the right atmosphere for all the rest to come.
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  Knowledge, strength, Ananda, let it become complete.
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  It does not remain when engaged in work, because it is still
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  confined to the mind proper, which has only just received the
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  gift of silence. When the new consciousness is
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  fully formed and has taken entire possession of the vital
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  nature and the physical being, the vital as yet as only touched
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  or dominated by the silence, not possessed by it, then this
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  defect will disappear. The quiet consciousness of peace
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  you now have in the mind must become not only calm, but wide.
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  You must feel it everywhere, yourself in it and all in it.
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  This also will help to bring the calm as a basis into the action.
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  The wider your consciousness becomes, the more you will be
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  able to receive from above. The Shakti will be able to
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  descend and bring strength and light as well as peace into the
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  system. What you feel as narrow and
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  limited in you is the physical mind.
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  It can only widen if this wider consciousness and the light come
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  down and possess the nature. The physical inertia from which
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  you suffer is likely to lessen and disappear only when strength
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  from above descends into the system.
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  Remain quiet, open yourself, and call the Divine Shakti to
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  confirm the calm and peace, to widen the consciousness and to
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  bring into it as much light and power as it can at present
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  receive and assimilate. Take care not to be over eager,
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  as this may disturb again such quiet and balance as has been
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  already established in the vital nature.
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  Have confidence in the final result and give time for the
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  power to do its work. End Quote Reference Sri, Oral
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  Bindo Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1, Calm, Peace and Equality, pages
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  9 to 10.