2. Equanimity
How often do I veer from the track? Not just in big decisions, such as having a shower, but small ones such as getting off Instagram. If I could see my mind in higher resolution, I would notice that all choices I am faced with
- have a varying degree of pleasant/unpleasantness which...
- ...can be very different when the choice is distant, to when in-front of me.
Take a cold shower for example. The night before I can taste the benefits and 'know' I'll take it. But when I'm about to jump in, I dread it and come up with excuses. To be more disciplined I need to be less swayed by my feelings, particularly the ones that are so subtle, they influence me without my realising.
In mindfulness lingo I need to be 'equanimous' with my feelings. How can I do that? With practice of course. I can wait for such situations to arise and repeatedly stick to my course of action. But how often will they crop up? And will I even remember?
Or I can be efficient and use a specific meditation practice where no matter what thoughts or feelings arise (e.g. urge to move, solve something, be it pleasant or unpleasant) I stay still and focused and steady. This is an artificially created environment where I get the opportunity to practice 'staying equanimous', dozens of times. And over a few weeks I practice 100s if not 1,000s of times.
If you are somebody that could do with being more equanimous and are willing to do the work, then the Tough School Mindfulness course mentioned below could be worth investigating.
Author: JD
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