Create inner balance with a 12-minute meditation

Life is never permanent. And it can be hard to stay balanced during times of change. Susan Bauer-Wu shares a guided meditation to ground us in the present moment and cultivate peace.

with equanimitywe can feel the possibility of balance in our hearts amidst life’s ups and downs. It is a quality that is both receptive and stable. In short, it is the opposite of a reactive mind. As we ride the waves of change and different experiences, with equanimity comes a sense of ease and resolution. This allows us to be present to suffering and now to joy. It combines the understanding of the mind along with compassionate heart. It doesn’t mean that we are indifferent or that we don’t care or that we care less, it means that we let life unfold without getting attached to the outcome or taking things personally. And finally, peace opens up to take in each moment mindfully and tenderly.

Meditation to create inner balance in the face of change

Read the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.

1. Take a comfortable position. You can close your eyes or just look down. Pay attention to your body. Notice how your breath moves through your body, feel your chest or abdomen expand with your breath.
2. Take a moment to set an intention for the practice. Perhaps to feel inner balance and lightness. Memorize the following phrases or the meaning of the phrases and repeat silently to yourself: Everything is as it is. I am safe at this point. My happiness and suffering depend on my thoughts and actions, not simply on my desires. Can I feel joy and lightness.
3. Pay attention to what is available to you now. Resting with a sense of normalcy in this moment, just as it is.
4. Think of someone you care about and who may be going through a difficult time. Expand these phrases or the meaning of the phrases to this person. I care about you, but I can’t keep you from suffering. I love you, but I can’t control your happiness. Your happiness and suffering depends on your thoughts and actions, not on my wishes for you. May you have joy and lightness.
5. Pay attention to how you feel. Pay attention to the gross sensation of everything that is present in front of you. Sit with it. Just allow it, right now.
6. Once again, become aware of your body and breath. Feel the ease of simply being and breathing.