Equanimity On and Off the Mat

As we approach September, I have been more or less bending backwards, and inviting the yogis in my classes to do the same, for at least 2 months now, if not more. This year, more than any other year, I feel as if I have been more open to the heart qualities like loving-kindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy. So it is fitting that as we near the end of the season, I find myself needing to cultivate equanimity.

I first realized this while watching an Arsenal soccer game (aka “football”). A particular player (Eduardo) broke his leg quite severely almost a year ago and worked hard to make a comeback. When he scored a goal during their first game of the season, I skipped being sympathetically joyful for his accomplishments because I was stuck at feeling pain for the suffering he must have felt a year ago. After feeling like this for at least an hour, I realized that I was being paralyzed by my compassion. This is not unusual; a near enemy of compassion is withdrawal stemming from feeling overwhelmed by suffering. In my opinion, this near enemy serves no-one; it only increases the amount of suffering there is in this world.

Realizing this, I decided I would work on cultivating equanimity. As defined by Wikipedia, “equanimity is a peace of mind and abiding calmness that cannot be shaken by any grade of unfortunate circumstance”. As renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg puts it, “Equanimity balances those heartfelt wishes with the recognition that things are the way they are. However much we may wish for something, most results are beyond our control.” It is not to be mistaken for indifference. On the contrary, it is because of equanimity we conjure up the courage to stay open to suffering, whether our own or others’. From my experience, equanimity is that final heart quality that ties in all the others in a balanced and wise way.

Only once I brought my attention to equanimity off the mat, did I explore it on the mat. Being equanimous on the mat means being ok with whatever you are presented – a room too hot, too cold, too quiet, too noisy, too empty, too full, being able to touch your toes, not being able to touch your toes, etc. It’s about letting go of the commentary telling you that things should be different, and being with what is, as objectively as possible.

Fortunately, like the other heart qualities, equanimity can be cultivated through the repetition of phrases. Feel free to repeat them as much as you like, and as much as you need.

All beings are the owners of their own karma. Their happiness and unhappiness depend on their actions, not on my wishes for them.
May I accept things just as they are.
May I accept myself just as I am.

Simple phrases. A simple technique. But by no means is this a simple task. Good luck and despite my wishes for you becoming equanimous, you are the owner of your karma, which is determined by your actions. In other words, what are you waiting for? As Krishnamurti once said, “Freedom is now or never.”