Woven into movement and stillness we will explore qualities that connect us with our desire for true happiness: cultivating attitudes of goodwill, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity – the ‘Brahmaviharas’ or sublime attitudes.
Week 1 – cultivating kindness (maitri / metta)
Props: blanket, 2 yoga bricks or 2 small stacks of books, yoga bolster or cushions
”Grant yourself a moment of peace and you will understand how foolishly you have scurried about.
Chinese proverb
Learn to be silent and you will notice that you have talked too much.
Be kind and you’ll realize your judgment of others was too severe.
Week 2 – compassion for ourselves and others (karuna)
Props: blanket, yoga bricks or books, yoga bolster or rolled up duvet
”When love meets the beauty of the world there’s joy.
Unknown source
Week 3 – the joy of being alive (mudita)
Props: blanket, yoga brick or books, yoga bolster or stacked pillows
”The human body, at peace with itself, is more precious than the rarest gem.
Je Tsongkhapa
Cherish your body, it is yours this one time only.
The human form is won with difficulty, it is easy to lose.
All worldly things are brief, like lightning in the sky;
This life you must know as the tiny splash of a raindrop;
A thing of beauty that disappears even as it comes into being.
Therefore set your goal and make use of every day and night to achieve it.
Week 4 – equanimity, a balanced outlook (upeksha)
Props: bolster or cushions, yoga brick or books
”I need those silent places
Silent Places, Allene Rasmussen Nichols
within and without
where I can feel my body expand and contract
with the breath that sustains me
and where the softness of the pillow under my hands
is as important
as the web of the wider world
with its bullying and braying governments and angry honking cars and endless noise.
