Today's meditation is about equanimity and acceptance.
So finding that steady balance in between the highs and lows of life,
In between the dualities that we experience every day.
There's a teacher called Gin Fronsdale who describes equanimity as the steady conscious realization of reality's transience.
And the ground for wisdom and freedom.
I invite you to find a comfortable seated position.
To close your eyes and start to descend from the mind into the body So we'll start by noticing the points of contact on your chair or on your cushion.
And notice how it feels to be held by gravity.
To be drawn towards the earth beneath you whilst maintaining your own physical posture.
Notice that feeling of the middle way,
The balance between completely letting go of all physical control.
And being so tense that you can't relax.
Notice how it feels to be balanced.
We tend to be drawn to what we regard as positive or desirable in some way.
So we tend to want to grasp and crave and reach for those things.
And simultaneously we want to move away from what we perceive to be negative.
We experience aversion and resistance And so this push and pull,
This wanting and not wanting,
This desiring and moving away,
Can be tiring.
And it can also draw us into habits that aren't necessarily good for us.
And this can happen on such a subtle level beneath our conscious awareness that we're not even aware that we are craving or resisting.
And it can become quite complex,
So when we think about our habits or addictive tendencies,
There might be part of you that wants to simultaneously resist and crave the same thing at the same time.
So equanimity is a state of balance.
You're not resisting,
You're not fighting,
You're not reaching or craving.
It's a peaceful steady state of mind that's undisturbed by emotional ups and downs and the more often that you can find a state of equanimity,
The more peaceful and serene and content you will be.
And the easier it will be to navigate life.
So I will invite you today to bring your awareness to different states of mind.
So that you can perceive them from the more neutral position of equanimity.
So first of all,
Bring to mind something that you've recently felt an aversion to.
Something that's uncomfortable but that isn't too extreme.
So a mild or moderate aversion.
It could be a sensation in the body like an irritation.
Or some kind of muscular pain.
Or it might be a thought that keeps appearing in your mind that you've been trying to push away.
Or some kind of mental image or memory.
Whatever it is bring it to your mind observe it with your full attention And include any feelings that are associated with it as well.
So bring those feelings into your experience as well.
Now notice the aversion.
This pushing away or wanting to move away.
And observe how it feels to experience aversion.
Observe the energy of that aversion.
The effort that's involved.
And see if you can also notice the label that you're overlaying.
This is bad.
This is negative.
I don't like this.
Now see if you can transform this aversion into.
.
.
Acceptance.
So acceptance of the discomfort or the irritation or the pain by being with the discomfort.
Bye.
Allowing it to be there.
Or if it's a thought,
Allow the thought to be there and notice whether anything shifts.
There might be a Release of tension.
You might feel more space within you somehow.
And see if you can observe this discomfort,
Whether it's a thought or a sensation or a memory.
Observe it for what it is without overlaying that label of negativity.
What's it like to observe it from a neutral perspective without saying,
This is bad,
I don't like this.
And again.
Notice whether anything shifts now we're going to work with something pleasant so bring to mind something pleasant that's.
.
.
In your life right now so it could just be the warmth of the room that you're sitting in or a person that you love or a piece of music that you've listened to that's in your head and allow yourself to really feel the pleasantness.
And notice what happens next.
So see if you can catch the moment where enjoying something.
Turns into a desire to hold on to it.
Maybe there's a wish for the feeling to last longer,
Or for it to happen again,
Or for it to be even better than it is.
And although this wanting is different to aversion,
It's still effortful.
There's maybe still a sense of tension there.
So stay with that wanting and notice the energy of it,
The subtle effort of trying to keep hold of something now see if you can transform this wanting into acceptance the same way that you did with the aversion so allow the pleasant experience to be as it is without needing it to stay without needing it to grow and notice.
What shifts when you stop trying to hold on to it?
And again,
I invite you to observe this for what it is without labeling it as positive or good.
What's it like to experience this pleasantness and to let it pass through you?
This is equanimity.
So it's not that you're numb to the rich experiences of life,
But somehow there's a steadiness so that you can meet whatever arises,
Pleasant or unpleasant,
Without needing to change it.
And there's something about that that can help you to relax more,
To surrender to what is,
To let go So whenever you're ready,
You can start to bring your awareness back into the room.
Carrying this steadiness with you as best as you can And the more often that you return to this equanimity practice,
The more familiar it will become in your everyday life,
So I suggest coming back to this practice regularly,
So the equanimity has the chance to grow.
And thank you for your time
