Welcome to Ground of Peace

Where Presence Becomes Healing

You have arrived at a sanctuary of silence, compassion, and inner remembering. Ground of Peace is a ministry of spiritual care, yogic empowerment, and sacred companionship. We walk with those who are dying, and the seekers of inner truth by bringing the living flame of peace into every heart.

“Be still and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

In practice, we are not bound by one name or creed. We serve the Divine in all forms and honor each path. Our invitation to you is simple: come home to your own heart, and let peace rise through your life.

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Salam Alchi ॐ
Founder & Spiritual Director, Ground of Peace

Salam Alchi was born in Baghdad, Iraq, at the close of the Iran–Iraq War into a world of terror laden with upheaval and uncertainty. His family immigrated to the United States during his early childhood, seeking refuge and possibilities. Raised within the Syrian Catholic tradition, Salam’s early life was filled with ritual and marked with the pain of assimilation, cultural dislocation, and the longing to belong.
Salam is purified in the fire of Kali, exalted by the redemption of Christ, and merged into the sacred syllable OM ॐ. Each sacred pathway arrives at the same silent, unshakable Presence that lives at the root of all paths. The One undeniable constant consciousness existence.
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Companionship

Companionship is a form of spiritual kinship — rooted in peace, shared humanity, and the subtle grace of simply being with another in reverent presence.

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Care

At Ground of Peace, care means spiritual devotion through humble presence, holding space for another's journey with wisdom, patience, and a love that transcends condition or belief.

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Presence

Presence heals. It needs no words or answers. Just full attention, offered with humility and quiet affirmation to this moment.

From Warrior to Witness: The Ashtanga Path

After over a decade as a competitive boxer and martial artist, Salam was introduced to the classical Ashtanga Yoga system. This meeting marked the beginning of a profound inner journey: the slow, sacred unraveling of internalized fear, inherited trauma, and the subtle binds of personal ambition.
For over 8 years, Salam has studied with Liza DiGaetano, a respected authorized teacher in the Ashtanga lineage. With humility and devotion, he has received the spirit of yoga through paramparā, the ancient transmission of spiritual wisdom passed heart to heart, teacher to student. Rigorously practicing daily in asana, pranayama, and meditation, Salam has cultivated not only strength and focus but also compassion, discipline, and inner freedom.
He remains profoundly grateful to the luminous knowledge transmitted through Liza, which slowly clarifies his mind, anchors his breath, and transforms his nervous system from survival to serenity. In addition to yoga, Salam is grateful for the rare opportunity to engage in privately guided ayahuasca journeys held in deep trust and safety with a seasoned elder. Through countless revelations, these sacred ceremonies have uncovered deep understanding of the soul, heart, and mind, complementing his yogic path with humility and reverence.

Salam draws quiet inspiration from the teachings of Sri Chinmoy, whose life of divine service and inner surrender continues to bless his own practice. He currently lives a simple life at an ashram in San Diego, dedicated to daily meditation, devotional art, simplicity, and compassionate service.

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Hospice Presence

For over six years, Salam has served as a hospice companion, bearing witness to the final breaths of the dying with deep presence and unwavering stillness. His work in end-of-life care is a spiritual offering—a ministry of silence, touch, and unconditional presence.
Sitting beside those preparing to cross the threshold of death, he has come to understand that the deepest spiritual path is not to escape suffering, but to accompany it with love. His hospice work is guided by a truth he lives daily: “Peace is not a place. It is a state of being, rooted in presence.”
Salam Alchi carries a quiet and unwavering love for the living presence of Christ. A love that flows from the living direct experience of Peace, beyond belief and religion. Anchored in Christ, he recognizes the essence of true mercy, a radiant clarity that gently guides the heart to what is whole and eternal. His life is a humble tribute to God, his beloved parents and siblings, the many wonderful teachers, artists, and sages who continue to inspire his life, and to the soul of the Earth, our common Mother.

May all beings awaken to the light within and be carried home into the peace that never ends. OM Namah Shivaya

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My Guiding Practices

  • Yoga - I’ve walked the path of Ashtanga and contemplative yoga for years. It’s how I remember who I am, and how I share that remembrance with others.
  • Meditation - Silence is my sanctuary. I practice daily stillness to embrace the world with more clarity and kindness.
  • Service - For over 6 years, I’ve offered presence to hospice patients and served the underserved with quiet care. I believe spiritual authority comes through real love in real places.
  • Art - I create devotional images and sacred designs that invite people into the space where The Divine can be felt beyond thoughts and concepts.

Why I Serve

I serve because I have sat long enough with not knowing to become a faithful witness to others’ unfolding. Ground of Peace is not my brand, it is my offering. A presence where souls can come home to themselves. Where remembrance and grace take the place of striving and ambition, and where presence is the true medicine.

I do not promise change.
I promise to hold space for transformation, reverently, with all I am.

The Birth of Ground of Peace

Ground of Peace is the natural flowering of Salam’s path—a thriving ministry devoted to offering spiritual care, yogic wisdom, and human dignity to those on the edges of society: the dying, the incarcerated, uninitiated youth, and overencumbered adults. The ministry has been gradually inspired by Salam’s long standing personal wish to share the frequency of Peace with the waking world. It is the transmutation of his personal ambition into a vehicle of selfless service to uplift humanity. Amid quantum advances in science and technology, Salam was drawn into the mind’s endless complexity and lost touch with his inner foundation. Through constant spiritual practice, he turned inward and rooted himself in the Ground of Peace—a quiet, eternal presence that endures beyond progress.
It is a living temple of simplicity, rooted in Christic compassion and yogic discipline. Through our presence, we bring the spirit of yoga and the sacred presence of peace into spaces often overlooked by the world.

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Where Presence Becomes Healing

You have arrived at a sanctuary of silence, compassion, and inner remembering. Ground of Peace is a ministry of spiritual care, yogic empowerment, and sacred companionship. We walk with those who are dying, and the seekers of inner truth by bringing the living flame of peace into every heart.

“Be still and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

In practice, we are not bound by one name or creed. We serve the Divine in all forms and honor each path. Our invitation to you is simple: come home to your own heart, and let peace rise through your life.
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