Dear Friends,
Over the past days, we have been exploring the air element – movement, breath, and continual change. It feels important to acknowledge that this exploration is unfolding at a time when the world itself feels especially unsettled.
Many of us are taking in heavy news: lives lost, ongoing wars, threats to democratic systems, and a sense of uncertainty about what lies ahead. It can feel overwhelming, disheartening, or exhausting to stay present with all of this. And at the same time, there are also signs of care and courage – people responding, resisting harm, and choosing nonviolence.
Today we will cultivate equanimity (upekkhā) – not as a turning away from the world, but as a way of staying in relationship with what is happening, without being consumed by it.
Equanimity is sometimes mistaken for indifference or emotional distance. In the early teachings, it is understood quite differently. Equanimity allows us to hold complexity – to feel sorrow and concern, and still remain grounded enough to respond wisely. It does not ask us to stop caring. It helps us care without being overwhelmed.
One image that has stayed with me recently is a group of monks who have been walking for peace – day after day, for months now. Their walking does not deny the suffering in the world. It happens because of it. Step by step, breath by breath, their practice expresses both grief and commitment, steadiness and hope.
Seen through the lens of the air element, equanimity has a particular texture. Air carries news across distances. It moves through borders and bodies alike. Breath brings in what is outside and releases it again. Equanimity does not block this movement. It allows experience to pass through – received, felt, and released – without hardening or collapse.
The invitation today is to notice to notice how equanimity might show up as a capacity:
- the ability to stay present with difficult information
- the ability to feel sorrow without being undone by it
- the ability to keep choosing care, again and again
If you would like to try a brief practice today, you might:
- Notice the breath moving in and out
- Sense how the body stays upright, even as sensations change
- Allow whatever you are carrying to be held within awareness, without forcing it to go away
Equanimity does not mean everything is okay. It means we do not abandon ourselves – or each other – when things are not okay.
You are invited to share what you notice, if that feels supportive. You can reply to the email or post a comment.
With good wishes,
Andrea
Good morning, Andrea!
This really resonated with me and I want to thank you so much for it.
Hi Ellen, I am glad this post resonated with you. These practices feel especially needed right now, and I appreciate hearing how they landed for you.
Andrea, it was so kind of you to offer this helpful guidance at a time when international events are so alarming. Just the possibility of equanimity – and experiencing it even briefly – is very steadying. It gives us a bit more patience when so much seems out of our control. I think I remember Christina Feldman describe it as ‘standing in the midst of everything, deeply touched, with a heart that cannot shatter’ (and she added, ‘we are ALWAYS in the midst of everything’…)
Thanks also for the link to the monks’ Walk for Peace, from Texas to DC (going right up to Feb.12!). So inspiring to actually see and hear their footsteps (in a daily video diary on that website). It looks like it is generating a lot of hope. Wonderful to find out about this.
Hi Barb, Thank you for your lovely message. That Christina Feldman quote is a reminder of what equanimity really points to. I am glad the practice brought a sense of steadiness. And I agree – the monks’ walk is incredibly inspiring to witness.