This month’s theme is equanimity. Equanimity is the stability of mind that allows us to be present with an open heart no matter how wonderful or difficult conditions are.

These days, we seem to be distressed on a personal, national, and planetary level. In response, our bodies produce stress hormones, which threaten our physical, mental, and spiritual health. We need to develop the skill of equanimity.

The folks at Joy Lab offer five steps on a journey to inner calm. (I am reordering them in a way that makes more sense to me.) They invite us to learn to:

  1. breathe fully and consciously – this connects us with the present moment, quiets our minds, and settles our bodies.
  2. connect with our bodies through mindful movement like walking, yoga, swimming etc.
  3. direct our minds through meditation.
  4. grow our awareness through steps 1-3.
  5. accept what is.

When we have body and mind rooted in THIS moment we feel joy.

Learning to hold our minds steady in a tumultuous world readies us to take effective joyful action.

In your journal:

  • do you feel “stressed out?” Write about it.
  • Describe a time you moved mindfully.
  • Spend time doing one of the steps above and describe your experience.