Welcome and Namaste 🙂
Today we are exploring into the practice of EQUANIMITY - one of the main skills that we cultivate in a meditation practice.
Equanimity means to "maintain mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation."
Are there certain people or situations that trigger anger, rage, and make it difficult for you to keep your cool?
Welcome to planet Earth 🙂
Equanimity is the antidote to those habitual reactions, thoughts and unconscious patterns that arise in our lives that tend to pop right up to the surface when we feel tense or threatened.
We all have people in our lives that we could practice more equanimity with, whether it be co-workers, in-laws or friends-of-friends with whom there is a tendency towards friction.
Those of us who are parents, it can be especially difficult yet extremely important to practice equanimity with our children. Let's face it, as much as we love them, sometimes those children are butt-holes! 🙂
From equanimity arises this ability to respond more from a place of intelligence and love as opposed to from our habitual patterns and reactions that might NOT be so based in compassion or true intellect.
Equanimity is one of the Four Noble truths of Buddhism.
And meditation is a gateway to Equanimity. In today's practice we'll explore equanimity in one of my favourite ways, by cultivating opposite feelings or sensations simultaneously.
I hope that you find today's exploration helpful in your meditation journey.
Do you have a story where equanimity came in to save the day in a particular challenge in your life?
Have you ever practiced this skill of welcoming opposite sensations to be there simultaneously?
Scroll down to join in with your reflection in the comments section!
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Good morning Ally 🙂 I can’t get enough of this equanimity meditation.. especially right now. I am so thankful that I’ve been practicing for a while and am able to be the calm in the storm right now…and that is definitely not easy some days. I love how you talk of responding from a place of intelligence and love. 💛
Now when I’m triggered.. I can step back and become the observer and figure out why I’m being triggered and then have compassion, love and acceptance for those emotions and thoughts and then I’m able to move through it instead of resisting my own human nature. Allowing the opposite emotions to arise I think is a very helpful exercise for our everyday life… I haven’t had a day yet that both don’t arise! Lol
Namaste 💛
Yes!! Such a practical exercise that really does already happen each and every day! Cultivating opposites simultaneously is not something that we would think to do or practice normally but it makes such a big difference when we’re faced with those inevitable challenging moments! I love that we can practice for being a better human in real life LOL
Morning Ally,
Loving your guidance through equanimity. I find it easier the more I practice this skill in my everyday life to not become as fused with my experiences and continue to practice matching a challenging emotion with a soft one. Thank you! Xo
It’s so amazing how big of a difference being mindful and practicing equanimity can make isn’t it? I’m finding it ESPECIALLY helpful right now. Holy moly it’s a wild world out there.
Good Morning! Fast practice today. And a lovely one at that. Have I welcomed opposite feelings simultaneously in a meditative practice…not really. Today’s practice I realized that during the awareness of both I could remain neutral, witness, and stay present – at peace.
Lately, in my day to day, I do practice and delay reactions by observing the “other side”. It really helps to find the balance and clarity of the situation. As always…love your meditations Ally…thank you 🙂
Wonderful Tara, I think you will be becoming VERY familiar with cultivating opposites in your upcoming training with Richard Miller. This is his JAM 🙂 haha
Hello Ally,
Thank you for another beautiful meditation. It always helps to be reminded that there is another way to react than through impatience, anger or irritation. But now instead of forcing myself to remain calm, I realize I can have both feelings present at once and override the anger with calm and understanding.
Namaste
Yes!!! It’s amazing when we can not resist or suppress emotions but find these tools that allow them to be there but in a non-destructive way!!! Such a wonderful skill to have. Life-changing really!
Thank ali
I love calm is a super power
I hope to learn to respond to anxiety with a calm grateful presence as am now being to see the more I dont want anxiety it stays around longer.
After all it’s just a Messenger telling me my thinking is off.
Am sure with loving kindness for myself I can do this..
Am also learning how to be kind to myself instead of blaming myself.
Peace calm love and light
Xx
Thank you for this reflection Karen. Yes!! It’s so true. In yoga psychology, we have this saying “What you resist persists.” (yoga psychology is very Jungian in nature.) and “What you befriend, transcends” – so much truth to this as I’ve worked through so much anxiety in my own life, I’ve found this teaching to be vital… when we can allow and find compassion and witness our experience without judgement, only then can it truly transform. Meditation has been my saving grace for this!
We are in Playa Guiones now and went to a yoga class this morning at Bohdi Tree. Where was your retreat? I will definitely be trying some of your suggestions tomorrow as we fly home. Thanks Ally!
Hi Ally,
I’m a few days behind so just did Day 6 today.
I can’t wait to bring this into my everyday life. Imagine being calm in the midst of a storm! I’ll welcome this teaching.Thank you for presenting this. You are a gift.
I really like the concept of calm being a superpower – I definitely agree that it is! I don’t tend to be reactive in an angry or irritable sense, but I do react anxiously in a lot of situations so I like this idea of recognizing the anxious feelings but also the positive and finding that calm balance. Thank you!
Hi Ally,
I’m doing this meditation on Day 11, haha after the challenge is over. I got behind and out of order but still wanted to try all your meditations. I found this one to be both challenging and empowering, and I can see how practicing this inviting of opposite experiences could be really valuable to navigating life more skillfully. Thank you so much for all your free meditations, they are great resources and I’m sure I will come back to them over and over again. Namaste!