Equanimity…and New Beginnings!

“There is always light, as long as we’re brave enough to see it.
As long as we’re brave enough to be it. "
—Amanda Gorman 1/20/21, presidential inauguration. Youth Poet Laureate
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Wow, wasn't that something?!? I listened on earbuds and was weeping in the aisles of BJ's by the end of this brave young woman's poem yesterday.

I don't know about you, but I feel like an anvil has been lifted from my head. And my heart. Never have I been so relieved to close the door on a particular political chapter. And I dare to hope. I do, and I hope you do, too. If a 22 year old woman can hold her own so fiercely at that podium, speak her truth and command our full attention, then maybe this country can indeed start to heal. I choose to believe it will.

In turbulent times (pretty much the past 4 years, for many of us), equanimity is how we keep our feet in the stirrups and make sh**t happen. Equanimity is being with all that arises, with a calm heart and a clear mind. Equanimity is the most solid foundation there is for action and revolution, for clarity and purposeful change. Action born of violence and rage....that creates more of both.

Here's a free recording from Wednesday's "Sunrise and Shine" class that begins with a 10-minute meditation on creating equanimity in our bodies, minds and hearts, to bring together spacious mind and the direct experience of joy. I'll leave it up through the weekend; I hope you enjoy.