Teachings on The Brahma Viharas: The Radiant Abodes of Lovingkindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity
Befriending Oneself-Befriending The World: Embodying the Radiant abode of Lovingkindness
Join this pop-up Live online four week course
Monday 7:00pm-9:00pm via zoom
May 19-Monday June 16 (excluding June Bank Holiday)
The Radiant Abodes are states of mind that can infuse our way of living with Wisdom, Love and Generosity. In the Buddhist and Yogic traditions, the Radiant Abodes are said to be our original nature, meaning we all have the seeds of these mind states within us but just as any seeds need water and night, the seeds of Lovingkindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity need to be actively nurtured.
In a world on fire with greed, hatred and delusion, we must fearlessly nurture generosity, love and clarity, within ourselves and among one another
It may feel untenable, but there is a pathway laid out for body heart and mind. No one can walk the Path for you but we do not have to journey alone. In fact, we are so deeply interconnected, that a collective response is the only source of real transformation. We must practice being together. This course offers an opportunity to do so.
4 live online classes May 19, May 26, June 9, June 16 (excluding June 2 Bank Holiday)
Evening class 7:00pm-9:00pm with replay of live class available if you are absent for a part or whole of class.
Exploration of the key principles of buddha’s lovingkindness practice
Includes mindful movement, deep relaxation, guided meditation and Q&A
Extra recordings of supplementary practices to support your individual at home and in life practice
class materials available 24/7 on demand during course and for 5 months afterwards
Later in the year there will be further Courses exploring the other abodes: compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity.
Practice In The Comfort of Your Own home—You don't need a big space or a lot of Special Yoga Props
The movement practices are designed to be doable for almost everyone, in almost any environment, so don't feel that you need to have a lot of space in your home as well as a lot of fancy yoga props--if you are in your bedroom and have a chair and enough room to fit a yoga mat, even if there's no extra space around the mat, this will work (you can do lots of yoga lying on your bed!).
You'll be guided on how to use ordinary household items as yoga props--On May 12 you will have access to the welcome section of the course with some videos to help you prepare for the course beginning on May 19.
Practicing online is easier than you might think, but if you are apprehensive, feel free to contact me cathi@yogahomesligo.com with any questions or concerns.
Why we need These Teachings More Than Ever
In recent months I have found it increasingly challenging to not feel wobbly in the face of the storms of the world--the literal weather storms as well as the political storms and the personal storms. While my personal storms may not be exactly the same as yours, there’s no doubt that we all have complicated work lives and/or family lives and emotional lives and so we all share the general experience of “storm” even if the details are different.
Finding Balance in A Stormy World
The yogic and buddhist teachings are rooted in the fact that as humans we live in a stormy world. It was true a few thousand years a go when these teachings emerged and I believe it is even more true today. Storms Dara and Eowyn might be impersonal forces of nature, but there’s little doubt that they are linked to climate change and how, through selfishness, callous disregard and ignorance, we are mistreating our planet. We see the same avarice, hatred and deep deception at work in the war zones of the world and in the elevation of leaders who are corrupt, divisive and utterly corrosive of truth. It seems the world is on fire with greed hatred and delusion. The Buddha spoke about the fires of greed, Hatred and delusion and it indeed seems that the world is on fire, literally and figuratively.
Re-Connecting with Our True Nature
When we hear that our true nature is generousity, love and wisdom, we naturally may find that hard to believe. If we have already been persuaded of this through yoga and meditation practice, it is not unnatural to doubt, to lose conviction, to question the meaning and purpose of our practice, to lose heart and to fall into exhaustion and despair or to just unconsuiously opt-out, stick our heads in the sand and numb ourselves with the distractions of addictive behaviours, which may bring temporary relief but are false refuges and leave a host of other problems in their wake.
Living in Original Love
Thankfully, the Buddha had the antidote to our propensity to fall prey to fear, anger, anxiety and distress. This antidote doesn’t make all our problems go away in an instant, but it does allow us to build within ourselves and among ourselves a bulwark against the despair we may feel with the rising tide of greed hatred and delusion. This powerful antidote is a teaching called the Brahma Viharas, or the Radiant Abodes of Lovingkindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy and Equanimity. I call the cultivation and practice of this teaching Living in Original Love.
