Cultivate Even-Mindedness

Cultivating even-mindedness is like planting a garden— it takes time, patience, and dedication. If we allow ourselves to be overcome with anger, it is like pulling out the tender shoots by the root. Stand guard at the door of your mind. do not allow negative thoughts to take root and grow.

~Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian

In this day and age, anger and frustration can rear their ugly heads just by reading the news or when we get into political discussions with others. While we want to stay informed it is not useful to be angry.  Negative thoughts and emotions just breed more angry thoughts and possibly angry words and actions. How can we change our thoughts to more useful, more positive thoughts? All we have to do is cultivate the opposite when we notice negative thoughts. It takes conscious effort. Our meditation practice trains us to notice our thoughts, to notice when we get off track and to bring ourselves back to where we want to be.  We want to be peaceful, calm, and happy— even-minded.  When we are that, we can speak and act in ways that our more useful to ourselves, our immediate circle of friends and family and to the world. Cultivate even-mindedness today.