The Art of Equanimity-The 8 Limbs of Yoga

 Equanimity means to have a balanced mind

It’s the ability to look at any situation, whether good or bad and not get overly disturbed, disrupted or thrown off course by it. 

Can we find the ease in the effort?

The fact is that life happens on life’s terms and we cannot always foresee what may arise, but equanimity helps us recognize that it is what it is, and it is temporary.

 

Equanimity isn’t about not feeling our feelings

Rather, it asks us to:

• notice how we feel
• allow yourself to feel it
• respond to the feeling where needed
• stay centered throughout the process
• then let it go

 

When cultivated, equanimity manifests in 3 primary ways:

• Provides Constancy across inconsistent events
• Helps you Respond to challenging situations without rocking you off your foundation
• Allows you to Let Go more easefully (of pain, control, the past/future, the need to be right, etc..) 

 

The positive results of practicing the art of equanimity are many! 

• • Emotional freedom -to recognize & feel your emotions while not allowing them to pull you off center & keep you stuck in suffering
  • Contentment despite feeling a difficult emotion or experiencing a challenging situation. The ability to hold both truths: the like/dislike, the light/dark and be okay with what is
  • Gratitude for the simplest of moments and in spite of your or others’ suffering. 
  • Empathetic joy– A greater capacity to feel happy for others and share their successes
  • Presence, Awareness & Curiosity- Being more mindful of what is and staying with it in the moment, however painful, and asking what it’s here to teach you 

 

It’s okay to not be okay with your past. It’s okay to not be okay with what’s currently in front of you or on the road ahead.

But can you accept it for what it is and not let it crush your spirit, or hijack your happiness or undermine your personal power?

YES you can! Trust yourself.

Are you going to explode in anger sometimes? Yes! Will you cry your eyes out in despair sometimes? Yes!

Are you human? YES!  The point is NOT to not feel our emotions. We need to feel and express real emotion as it arises.

Equanimity is an invitation to maintain balance—to seek calm in the chaos and steadiness in the storms, so we don’t hold ourselves in states of suffering for longer than we need to.

In western culture, yoga’s primary focus is on just 1 or 2 of the limbs of the 8-fold path, but to understand the depth and breadth of all  yoga offers us, these ancient teachings (as transcribed by Patanjali), invite us to take a deeper dive into the wholeness of yoga. The 8 limbs illuminate how we may take our yoga off the mat and out into the world as more liberated humans and as a force for love and justice.

What’s helped guide me onto a consistent and sustainable path of Equanimity in my life, is through the study and practices of the  8 Limbs of Yoga ~practical guidance for connecting with self acceptance and  cultivating a more fully expressed & more meaningful life. For reals!

Studying and learning to integrate the wise & resourceful practices of the centuries old 8 Limbs of yoga, with its roots in South Asia, is a practice, and practice makes permanent! 

Here are the 8 limbs of yoga:

Yama – the 5 ethical practices of how we treat others

Niyama – the 5 inner observances of how we treat ourselves

Asana – the physical posture

Pranayama – breath control

Pratyahara – sense withdraw

Dharana – concentration

Dhyana – meditation

Samadhi – union, equanimity, bliss

 

While we are perfectly imperfect the way we are, there’s always space and time for self-reflection.  Mindful & self-compassionate intention to personally, professionally and spiritually evolve, is a noble cause and worth the effort.  We are here to learn how to lessen our own suffering and in turn, reduce the suffering of others. A lifelong dedication to the 8 Limbs of Yoga can expansively inform our journey to become more and more at home in our own skin and find our way back home to ourselves.

ELEVATE is my online group program that helps you do just that. Learn more by booking a 30 minute  free discovery session.  Let’s get you on your divine path💫

 

 

This retreat series will be offered again…stay tuned…

Retreat Series 2022