What Do We Want? Equanimity!

“We are all inside this dangerous new chapter, connected to one another. There is fear in that, but there is strength too.” – Naomi Klein

What a contrast a few days makes! I have just returned home after the Coldplay concert in Melbourne that reaffirmed my faith in humanity and the qualities of love, peace, acceptance and diversity. The concert opened with a ‘Welcome to Country’ from the Traditional Custodians and while the UK media has reported fans being ‘outraged’ that is not what I experienced. The concert was a vibrant celebration of life, love and the human spirit. The audience had no boundaries in age or demographics, so many diverse people connected by music. Chris Martin as lead singer must be one of the most honest, authentic and humble lead singers I have seen. So many feel good moments and not just good intentions, calls to action for the environment and many other causes. It was like attending a yoga class with thousands of others as we raised our hands and sent out a sense of unity, kindness and compassion while our wristbands illuminated the stadium with light. I went home buzzing with energy and positivity!

Then to arrive home, a little jet lagged, over indulged from all the good Melbourne food, but still elated, to the reality of the US election results was deflating. Whichever side of politics you are on, if any, I don’t think we can deny that the world is increasingly becoming a more divisive place. It often feels all the work done in my younger years of activism is being unravelled. I had real hope with the National Apology in 2008 and then Australians voting in favour of marriage equality in 2017. But enter the increasing divisiveness of populism across the globe and brought from the margins to the centre by Trump, and my optimism is fading. The divisiveness around the the pandemic sure did not help, the increasing cost of living, the climate crisis and then last year the defeat of The Voice referendum. So to say these last few years have been fuelled by uncertainty around pandemics, global conflict, political division, inflation and climate change is stating the obvious.

It has been 5 years since my Mum died and I have felt the sense of loss even more keenly in the last year or so. Maybe she had some insight into all that was coming our way and decided her time on Earth at least, was done. I have literally felt the weight of the world over the last couple of years, it has weighed on me physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel disheartened, deeply exhausted and more recently began feeling depressive symptoms. I would be standing in the kitchen getting my breakfast and the tears just rise up for no particular reason. Now this is new to me as I generally in my life to date I have leaned towards states and traits of anxiety. This why I started practicing yoga and meditation to support me to relax and down regulate. I have the yogic tools and practices to support these feelings of depression and I get out to walk and spend time in nature. So through supervision sessions and self reflection I have come to the conclusion that this depression is from what is currently going on in the world. To be honest my personal circumstances are pretty good right now and I love my job so it must be more than this. I try to limit my time consuming the news and social media (more on that later) but still want to be informed and involved. Empaths are the energetic change-makers of the world. We are needed to share compassion, kindness and empathy to those who most need it.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

You might ask what has all this to do with yoga? Yoga is about being engaged in life, it is not about escaping to bliss, so yoga IS politics. Yoga also offers some good practices to support us get through the highs and lows of life. To think we can cope with all of this uncertainty without making internal adjustments is like continuing to spend on an already diminished budget. Equanimity is a common practice in yogic traditions and involves an evenness of mind when under stress. It is calmness and compassion in the chaos, not being cool or indifferent but being present without getting caught up in the drama. So we can stand in the face of conflicting and turbulent events from a stable and grounded place within ourselves.

Another yogic philosophy practice is ahimsa which translates to not injure or harm, non-violence, and not using harsh words, dishonest or lying. The opposite is himsa or violence which is said to hurt the vitalities (pranas) through vibration due to passions, which agitate mind, body or speech. To me ahimsa also means justice, compassion, human rights and a celebration of diversity. Building peace with the self first, before the community and world we all live in. Peace begins with us. I hope for a world where we can co-exist and co-operatively thrive, cultivating connections and compassion. A world we can thrive in, not just survive. A world that does not leave people feeling disenchanted and disfranchised. Less a surviving alone or survival if the fittest, rather a thriving together. We are all connected, we are connected to everything in this amazing planet we call home and human consciousness is more connected than separated. We think we are apart from nature, but we are not, we are part of nature.

I often say in yoga class the phrase, where attention goes, energy flows. What sort of change do you want to see in the world? We need a roadmap to reclaim the populist ground from those who would divide us, we need a new way to create the fair and caring world we want and need. How did we get here? How can we, collectively, come together and heal. I hope the way I move through the world and interact with others is guided by the principles I have learned through yoga; union, kindness, connectivity and empathy. Today I am imagining a world in which our connections serve to unite us, as a global community, rather than fracture us into tribal groups, warring with one another through social media spaces.

What if we used the social media and connectivity of technology to support us to build a global sangha or community, where we could share joy, kindness and compassion. I believe this future is possible, but only if we, as a species, make a conscious decision to improve the quality of our engagements on social media rather than the quantity. Before you speak consider Rumi’s “Three Gates of Speech” – is it true, is it necessary and is it kind?

People may think I am an extrovert with the various roles I have that involve being up front leading, teaching and facilitating. However I am really an extroverted introvert and value my time alone to recharge the mind, body and spirit. So it is finally time to limit my use of social media for my own mental health and wellbeing. You won’t see me much on Facebook or Instagram for the time being other than posting the Quote of the Week from class – which you can also view on the classes page of my website if prefer. I would prefer to delete my social media accounts completely but there are some realities of staying connected for my business, work and volunteering or maybe I will find my lack of presence on social media makes no difference at all. In the meantime I can be contacted by phone, text, email or filling out the Contact Me form on my website. Check the True Equanimity Yoga website for any upcoming classes, events and information and I will keep connected by sending out regular newsletters and blog posts.

“If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” – Martin Luther King