Our Founder

Founder & Spiritual Director, Ground of Peace

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 laden with terror, 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.

By constant devotion, Salam is purified in the fire of transformation, exalted by the redemption of Christ, and merged into the sacred syllable OM ॐ. Each sacred pathway arrives at a silent, unshakable Presence that lives at the root of all paths. The One constant undeniable consciousness existence.

🔱 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 studied with Liza DiGaetano, a respected authorized teacher in the Ashtanga lineage. With humility and devotion (bhakti), he received the spirit of yoga through paramparā, the ancient transmission of spiritual wisdom passed heart to heart, teacher to student. He is genuinely inspired by the luminous yogic wisdom transmitted through Liza. It constantly clarifies his mind, anchors his breath, and regulates his nervous system from survival to serenity. He is committed to daily practicing asana, pranayama, and meditation. Through steady practice, Salam has cultivated not only strength and discipline, but also freedom and compassion.
In addition to yoga, Salam is profoundly grateful for the rare privilege of receiving private spiritual guidance from a seasoned elder whose compassion and wisdom have been cultivated over a lifetime of service. These sacred encounters opened pathways of deep intuitive understanding in his heart-mind, and soul. They complement his yogic journey with humility, reverence, and an earnest sense of gratitude for the grace of such matriarchal and magisterial care.
Salam draws quiet inspiration from the teachings of Sri Chinmoy, whose life shows the world that Peace begins inside each person’s heart. Salam currently lives a simple life at an ashram in San Diego, dedicated to meditation, service, and devotional art.

Hospice Presence

For over six years, Salam has served as a hospice companion, bearing witness to the final stages of 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 to accompany suffering with love. His hospice work is guided by a truth he lives daily:

“Peace is a state of being, rooted in presence.”

Salam carries a quiet and unwavering love for the living presence of Christ. A love that flows from the direct experience of Peace, beyond belief and religion. Anchored in Christ, he recognizes the essence of true mercy, the silence that dissolves all separation. His life is a humble tribute to God, his ancestors & family, and to the many wonderful teachers who continue to inspire his life. Gratitude to Mother Earth, the One Majesty who nurtures us all. May every heart awaken to Peace never ending.
OM Namah Shivaya 🔱

🔱 The Birth of Ground of Peace

Ground of Peace is the natural flowering of Salam’s path. It is a thriving ministry devoted to offering spiritual care, yogic wisdom, and human dignity to those on the edges of society.
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. By his mid 20s, Salam was mired by the mind’s complexity, endless desires and had lost touch with his inner foundation. Through constant spiritual practice, he turned inward and rooted himself in the Ground of Peace. The quiet, eternal presence that endures beyond ambition and progress. Through presence, we bring the spirit of yoga and peace into spaces often overlooked by the world.

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 remembering with others.
  • Meditation - Silence is my sanctuary. I practice daily stillness to embrace the world in harmony and with 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 arts 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. Presence is the true medicine.

I accept Death completely and I actively share that courtesy with others. Instead of energy being spent fighting what cannot be stopped, it becomes available for peace, gratitude, and love.
I do not promise change. I promise to hold space for transformation, reverently, with all I am.
ॐ