It is time to tune out distractions, and tune into the here and now. Becoming present is essential to creating balance, both on and off the mat.

Today, we explore EQUANIMITY: The balancing series in our Baptiste Yoga Journey Into Power sequence, that comes fourth in line after Integration, Awakening, and Vitality.

Here at Down Dog Yoga, it is not uncommon to occasionally see students leaving the heated practice space for a respite in our cool studio lobby, stating that they simply “can’t go back” into the heat of the studio and the challenge of the practice. When this occurs, what’s really happening is that these students are up against their threshold – their edge. Which is precisely why it’s so important to get back in the heat of the room and stay in the challenge of the practice, rather than checking out. This is the space where true yoga learning and transformation begins. When feelings like this arise – the desire to flee, to escape – the yoga practice transforms into a practice in the art of staying. Even when something feels overwhelming, stay. And see what happens. The staying – even amidst challenge and difficulty – is equanimity.

According the Baron Baptiste, “The more you can ride out the storms within, the clearer the horizon will be.”

In the Journey into Power Sequence, Equanimity commands your presence and helps you find balance through concentrated gaze and fluid breathing. The six poses we practice as part of equanimity are:

1. Eagle
2. Dancer
3. Standing Leg Raise
4. Airplane
5. Half Moon
6. Tree

All of these poses work to strengthen and tone the lower body, and to stabilize your core. These poses also call us to meet great challenge with ease and equanimity; with cool and calm. Baptiste Yoga commonly states that, “Equanimity is the art of meeting life as it meets you: Calmly, without drama or fuss.”

Do you often loose your cool? Where in your life could you dedicate your actions to meet difficult situations with a stronger and less reactive center? Practice equanimity on your mat, and you’ll see results off your mat.