Inner Peace

Course Description

We live in a time, where the outer world is uncertain. The real question is not how to tame the world (because we can not) but how to navigate its storms without losing our inner compass.

Inner peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the quiet, steady presence of the Self amidst the storms of circumstance or the unknown. It is not something granted to us from without, but something present within.

The psyche ‘needs’ challenges; it grows through engagement with the tension of opposites. When uncertainty and turmoil visit us. it is not necessarily a sign that something is wrong. More often, it is the soul demanding we ask deeper questions.

Who am I now, in this new landscape? What values have I unconsciously inherited that no longer serve me? What does my fear ask of me? These are not comfortable questions, but they are important ones.

The ego will always seek control, clarity, and certainty. But the soul is a mystery-seeker. And it is only when we relinquish the fantasy of control that we may truly encounter our deeper Self.

So, finding peace in turmoil is not about escape. It is about fidelity. Fidelity to the summons of your own soul.

The paradox is that when we turn inward (when we sit with the anxiety, the grief, the uncertainty) we make room for a deeper wisdom to speak. A wisdom that has always been there, quietly waiting beneath the noise. An awareness that IS.

Peace, then, is not a product of avoidance, but of alignment. Alignment with your deepest values, your truest voice, and your willingness to walk through the dark with curiosity rather than fear.

The aim of this course is to guide you into a deeper relationship with yourself. Not the surface self, but the quiet one beneath the noise.

This course is ideal if you want to:

• Cultivate inner peace that does not depend on external certainty
• Listen more deeply to the quiet voice beneath the noise of daily life
• Slow down and make space for the soul’s guidance
• Find steadiness through alignment with your deeper Self
• Develop practical ways to stay connected to your inner compass in the midst of life’s storms

Course Overview

This course is co-taught by Akke Jeanne and Machiel Klerk. Akke Jeanne guides participants through Classes 1 to 7, while Machiel  takes over for Classes 8 to 12.

Class 1: Presence to the moment

This class explores inner peace not as stillness, but as presence in the middle of life’s challenges. We are invited to stay with what is real, without needing to fix or escape it. The focus is not on feeling peaceful but on being honest about what is present right now. When we notice what is happening in the moment, we take the first step toward real alignment. We will use breath as a tool to return to presence. Breathwork, rooted in ancient traditions and supported by modern science, helps us connect with our bodies and the moment. It becomes an anchor.

Class 2: Noticing coping that pulls us away from the present

Life will always bring challenges. But when we live in alignment with our inner truth, we stop fighting ourselves. In this class, we will notice the moments when we lose our peace and explore them with curiosity instead of judgment. We will learn to track our coping strategies. Using a Jungian lens, we will ask: What might we be avoiding? What part of us is asking to be seen? The focus is on creating space for inner integrity.

Class 3: Our relationship to distractions

In a world that celebrates busyness, distraction often becomes a way to avoid our inner life. In this class, we will treat distraction as a clue. It may point to unresolved grief or buried conflict. It may be a way of not having to deal with questions about the meaning of your life. At times, distraction helps the unconscious reorganize or allows creativity to surface. But as a habit, it disconnects us from our authenticity. We will explore how we use distraction, what it might protect us from, and how to develop a conscious relationship with it. The aim is to bring awareness to our habits and return to what truly matters.

Class 4: Being with emotions

This class invites us to turn toward our emotions. We are asked to sit with what is stirring beneath the surface: grief, anxiety, longing, emptiness. We will not try to fix these emotions. We will feel them.  We will explore how emotions show up in the body. Next we listen to them through sensations. This kind of inner work asks us to slow down. Sitting with our emotion then becomes a way to honor the psyche’s call toward wholeness.

Class 5: Meet life as it is 

The psyche longs for wholeness. This class explores inner peace as something that grows from alignment with our individuation process. Many of us live by the ‘if this, then that’ logic: If I succeed, then I will rest. If I finish everything, then I will be at peace. These beliefs are often defenses. They are ways the ego tries to control life and delay discomfort. In this class, we will reflect on what it means to meet life as it is. A verse from the Tao Te Ching will guide our reflection.

Class 6: Authenticity 

Inner peace arises from living in alignment with the psyche’s summons. In this class, we explore authenticity as a daily practice. We will examine the scripts we inherited. Our scripts are shaped by culture, family, and fear. So what does it mean to truly listen to the voice within? That voice may ask us to break patterns, sit with discomfort, or disappoint others to remain true to ourselves. Authenticity often brings tension, but also freedom. It is the path toward wholeness and inner peace

Class 7: A symbolic map to inner peace

In this class, we explore fairy tale of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ as a metaphor for the inner journey toward peace. Drawing on Jungian psychology, we look at this fairy tale as a symbolic guide to psychological development. This story reflects the painful and necessary process of becoming who we truly are. It speaks to loneliness, false belonging, and the quiet strength it takes to discover (and honor) our own nature. The duckling finds peace by discovering his true nature. In the same way, we find peace by accepting who we truly are. 

Class 8: The Fountain of Life

In this opening session, Machiel explores how life offers us roles we did not choose—joyful, painful, and complex. Drawing from Jungian thought and mythic storytelling, we discover that we are not the roles we play but the actor behind them. Through a guided exercise, you are invited to connect with the deeper self, the still well beneath the ever-flowing fountain of life.

Class 9: Meeting the Helper

Every great journey includes a moment when a helper appears. In this class, you will meet your own inner guide, the daimon, genius, or imaginal ally who walks with you. Machiel draws on myth and ancestral wisdom to help you connect with this unseen presence and build a living relationship through a gentle imaginal exercise and embodied practice.

Class 10: The Circle of Control

Here we explore the part of us that anxiously tries to control life. Known as the Controller, this inner figure often acts from fear. Machiel helps you recognize its presence, relate to it consciously, and begin shifting from reactive control to soulful awareness. The class includes an imaginal exercise to meet and creatively engage this inner part.

Class 11: Dream Incubation & Divination

In this class, Machiel shows how to actively invite guidance from the deep psyche. Across cultures, dreams have been used as a sacred gateway to insight—and tonight, you are invited to ask a simple but powerful question: “How can I experience more inner peace?” You will learn a step-by-step dream incubation ritual, including how to phrase your question, create a meaningful entryway, and record and reflect on your dream.

Class 12: The Inner Addict

We all long for inner peace. But instead, we often reach for distractions. Sugar, the phone, the news, and romance each promise comfort. Yet they pull us away from the deep well within. In this class, we explore the Inner Addict, an inner figure that searches for peace in the wrong places. This part of us tries to soothe pain through temporary relief, but it creates more restlessness. It is not the behavior itself that is the problem. It is the intention behind it. The Inner Addict avoids discomfort and avoids feeling. It offers comfort instead of transformation.
Through a five-step exercise, you will identify one addictive pull, observe its inner voice, feel what arises when you do not act on it, and begin sitting with the deeper emotions underneath. True peace is not found in the momentary fix. It is found in meeting what we would rather avoid.

Class 13: What If This Feeling Is Okay?

In this session, we explore a powerful shift: instead of seeing difficult emotions as problems to fix, we welcome them as visitors. Many of us fight our feelings or rush to act on them, which only deepens our inner unrest. By learning to sit with emotions—without pushing them away or turning them into a story—we reconnect with the deeper self. A simple two-minute practice helps loosen the grip of reactive patterns and invites a more spacious, peaceful presence.

Class 14: When Life Jumps In

In this final session, we reflect on how life keeps jumping into the quiet pond of our mind. Inspired by Bashō’s timeless haiku, we explore how inner peace is not about keeping the waters still, but about how we receive the ripples. We revisit some of the tools from earlier sessions, and add two new ones. One helps us shift perspective by seeing our feelings as scenes in a movie. The other meets the anxious “what if” voice with presence and care. Curiosity becomes the doorway. Even when the surface stirs, something deep inside remains still.