Tara Brach

Welcome, friends, to the Tara Brach Podcast.

I'm so glad you're here.

Each week, I share teachings and guided meditations to help us awaken our hearts and bring healing to our world.

You can learn more or support this offering by visiting tarabrach.com, where you can also join our email list.

Now, let's explore together the many ways we can live from the love and presence that's our deepest essence.

Today we're on the fourth week of a series of heart reflections.

We've explored loving-kindness and compassion and joy.

And this one's on equanimity.

And people often wonder how did equanimity get grouped together with the other domains of heart.

And it helps to consider what it is that blocks or closes our heart.

in any moment that we're wanting life to be different, that we feel like life's not going our way, let's say our body hurts or we feel in some way offended or criticized by someone, we're anxious about what's around the corner or we feel like maybe we failed at something, in those moments it's difficult to connect with and feel our natural caring and love and tenderness of heart.

So equanimity is the space of awareness that can allow life to be just as it is.

So when we're feeling equanimity, life can be unpleasant, life can be difficult, and there's still enough space, still enough awareness, enough balance and openness to hold what is arising with care.

And that is freedom.

That's freedom.

I'll share with you a poem from the poet Kaveri that gives us a sense of this and it's called

There is a canyon of painted rocks where the sun always rises, where the sun always sets.

Sometimes the cliffs are covered in snow.

Sometimes they are wet with rain.

Sometimes wildflowers grow in the dry crevices.