"Equanimity is the art of meeting life as it meets you-calmly, without drama or fuss. This is the way out of frustration into the light" (p.124-125).
Basically it is realizing that there are things in life you can change and some things you cannot change. The things you cannot change need to be met calmly instead of reacting negatively. A perfect is example is traffic. All of us that live in the GTA know that traffic is a huge problem. We waste so much time commuting. When we get caught in traffic, or when someone cuts us off, most react negatively. For instance, I know someone who almost always has to give people the finger or drive up next to them and wave his hands around while swearing so they absolutely know that they just pissed him off. I won't name any names. Equanimity is realizing that the person has already cut you off, or that traffic is there, there is nothing you can do to change that. So you might as well just accept that it has happened and move on, use your energy toward something you can change. Drop the drama!
This week has really opened my eyes to how I react to certain things I cannot change. Boy do I waste a lot of energy being negative about them at times! I really tried to stop and take a minute to think about whether what just happened can be changed or not, if it can't then let me just take a deep breath and move on. It works. I even brought it up to Mike at times where he would start to get angry about something. "There's nothing you can do about it, so why get so angry? Don't waste your time."
Week 3: Yoga Practice
This week I was to increase my practice time by another 15 minutes...so that means I'm at a 45 minute practice now. I missed only 1 practice this week, and other days I did a full hour practice if I was at the studio. My favourite poses this week were sarvangasana (shoulder stand) and natarajasana (dancer's pose). Unfortunately I've never done shoulder stand in a Moksha class because they tend to keep it pretty basic, so I just do them at my home practices. They are a lot of fun! Dancer's pose I've always enjoyed, so this week I worked more on coming to my full expression and being able to stay in it for a number of breaths, rather than just rushing into it and not focusing which would cause me not to be able to hold it very long. A pose I had trouble with this week was Garudasana (eagle pose). For some reason I was having trouble balancing for this one. I normally wrap my leg completed around and tuck my foot, but this week I had to revert back to just crossing my leg over top or even some days having a "kick stand".
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| Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) |
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| Natarajasana (dancers pose) |
 Garudasana in Jamaica May 2011 (I kept falling over every time I tried to snap a shot in Eagle pose...proof that I was having trouble with this one!) |
Week 3: Meditation
This week the meditation time increased to 15 minutes. The focus was to set my intention to sit with strong determination, not to quit before the 15 minutes are up. I am to notice my reluctance to meditate and my desire to stop and walk out of the room. The focus is to just STAY. This is the practice of developing equanimity.
Week 3: Balancing Diet
There is no better place to see how we react to things we cannot change than in our diet. When our moods change, sometimes our diets do too. We get stressed, and we reach for snacks. We get sad, we reach for sweets. The dreaded "comfort food".
Baron says "...They overeat not because they are excessively hungry, but because they mindlessly shovel food into their mouths the minute an uncomfortable truth or feeling arises, as a way to hide" (p.149). People stay in their comfort zone, and if that means eating to not have to think about something they don't want to think about, then so be it.
This week's homework was to look at the foods I crave. He says that we tend to crave different things at different times. We crave sweets for energy and comfort, and salt for minerals and grounding.
What does sweetness mean to you? When do you usually crave the taste? Do you consider things like cookies, candy, and other sweets necessities? If so, why? This week when you have a craving take a breath before you reach for the cookie jar and ask yourself honestly what is causing it.
I don't generally crave sweets, but I love anything salty! I realized that my body craves salt often, and so I incorporated more mineral-rich foods like spinach into my diet. I changed my regular romaine lettuce salads into spinach salads at dinner time, and even started putting it in my pasta and other veggie dishes. I will also try to eat fish at least once a week going forward.
Week 3: Excavation Questions
In what areas of my life can I have less reaction and more divine interpretation?
I think I can react less to stresses at work, especially when I feel others aren't pulling their weight. I need to just focus on my tasks and get my work completed. Also when dealing with my puppy I need to have more patience, instead of getting aggravated when he is full of energy or behaving badly. I need to stop, take a breath, and focus on why he is acting this way. Reacting just gets him more wound up!
How can I enhance the quality of my life through a shift in my attitude?
This is a big one for me, because I really do believe that attitude is everything when dealing with a situation or life in general. I realized awhile ago that if I continue to live life with the attitude that I have failed in something, or something has not gone the way I wanted it to, I will be miserable. Take one day at a time is my new attitude, and it's been working pretty well. The reduced level of anxiety has really helped with my energy levels, whereas before I found that I often felt burnt out.
What things are most likely to trigger reactivity in me?
Oh it's just a short list here:
-people not treating me right, or not treating others right
-people thinking they need to get involved in your business
-unnecessary negativity
-people who "pass the buck" onto me
-being taken advantage of by those around me
-liars
-when someone attacks my character
-being blamed for things without having a chance to explain my side of the story
-the puppy being restless when I have little energy
Ok so maybe it's not that small of a list. A lot of times when these things happen I will keep my reaction to myself. I think this helps me because instead of outwardly reacting, which can cause even more trouble, I give myself time to calm down and look at the situation logically rather than emotionally. I then decide whether it's worth my time to react the way I did. Most of the time the answer is no.
Week 4 is next!
Namaste :)
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