Let's begin,
Finding a comfortable posture that supports both relaxation and alertness.
Either closing your eyes or lowering your gaze and turning your attention inward.
Beginning with three deep and diaphragmatic breaths,
Filling the entire torso with the in-breath from the belly all the way up to the collarbones,
Emptying the torso completely on the out-breath,
Like filling and emptying a vessel with water.
Through the third out-breath,
Release any control of the breath and allow it to find its own natural rhythm.
As the breath settles into a more natural pace,
Gather your attention on the sensations of the breath,
Wherever it's most predominant in your body as best you can,
Bringing in the attitude of patience,
Kindness,
And even amusement to the wandering mind.
It's inevitable after all,
So why fight it?
And the less you fight it,
The less agitated it will be.
If you can stay with the sensations of the breath and the body for a breath or two,
See if you can notice the space in between the breaths,
That moment of perfect equipoise that happens all by itself,
15 times a minute,
Allowing this naturally arising moment of balance in the body become the focus of your attention.
See if you can find the effortless,
Spacious ease between expansion and contraction,
Between rising and falling,
In and out.
Reflecting for a moment on the quality of equanimity,
What are the benefits of a mind that has balance and equanimity?
See what floats to the surface of your mind.
You might sense what a gift it would be to bring a peaceful heart to the painful agitation of our current world.
And connecting with your own deepest and most sincere intention to cultivate equanimity by silently repeating these phrases and see how they land for you.
May I be open,
Balanced,
And at peace.
May my heart find rest and balance in the midst of all things.
Fencing into that point of balance within yourself amidst all that's constantly changing,
Your inner gyroscope.
Now silently dropping in the following phrases and see if they're true for you and if they open up greater spaciousness and ease.
Things are just as they are.
All things are impermanent.
Feelings arise and pass away.
As you repeat these phrases,
Connecting as best you can with their full implications for whatever sets or may preoccupy you in this moment.
Things are just as they are.
All things are impermanent.
Feelings arise and pass away.
I am safe in this moment.
I am safe in this moment.
Now reflecting on the reality of how much our own happiness or suffering comes from our thoughts,
Actions,
And circumstances and not from others' wishes for us.
We can have partners who love us,
Friends,
Parents,
But ultimately we're responsible for our own happiness and well-being.
This is also true for our loved ones.
Loving others inevitably opens us to feelings of helplessness when our loved ones suffer and no matter how fortunate their lives,
Everyone will experience pain.
So reflecting on the idea that all beings are the recipients of their own choices,
Actions,
And circumstances.
While we can deeply love and care for others,
In the end,
Their happiness and suffering depend more on their thoughts,
Actions,
And circumstances than on our wishes for them.
Equanimity practice recognizes this reality without forsaking any of the love that you feel.
Now bringing to mind someone you love who's going through some difficulty.
Choose a situation that doesn't feel overwhelming in this moment.
And feel into the following phrases.
Your happiness and suffering depend on your thoughts,
Actions,
And circumstances and not my wishes for you.
Recognizing this,
I will continue to wish for your happiness and for you to understand the deepest sources of your own happiness.
I will care for you,
But I can't keep you from suffering.
Knowing and accepting the limits of what you can do for this loved one,
Silently offer them the following phrases.
Feel free to change the language to whatever works for you.
May you be happy and have access to the deepest causes of your own happiness.
May you be balanced and peaceful.
May you flourish and find true equanimity.
Allowing your heart to be touched by whatever poignancy you experience as you imagine your loved one being free from suffering while fully recognizing the limits of what you can and cannot do.
Holding both and refreshing the image of your loved one,
Offering them the same wishes.
May you be happy and have access to the deepest causes of your own happiness.
May you be balanced and peaceful.
May you flourish and find true equanimity.
Now,
Imagine expanding your own field of equanimity beyond yourself and your loved one to encompass the whole universe.
May I find balance and equanimity and peace amidst it all.
May all beings flourish.
May all beings live in balance and in peace.
Close this practice,
Releasing the words and images and returning to the simple sensations of the breath in the body.
Relaxing into the rhythm of expansion and contraction and savoring the natural point of balance between the breath and the body.
The two.
