Equanimity (Sanskrit: upekṣā) is one of the Four Immeasurable qualities of the awakened heart and mind, together with loving kindness, compassion and joy. Equanimity is often described as even-mindedness: the capacity to see clearly from a wider perspective, with an open and spacious acceptance of what is. Equanimity includes balance in the midst of life’s ups and downs and is traditionally described as the ground from which the other three qualities can grow.

This weekend offers a deep dive into this powerful – yet sometimes illusive – quality, exploring equanimity from different angles and through a range of practices. We will look at how equanimity can help bring more freedom and ease into our relationships, both with ourselves and with others. It can help shift our perspective from experiencing the world as me/us vs them into a richer sense of belonging and interconnectedness. Here, we don’t need to compare ourselves with others, and we become freer from the push and pull of rejection and aversion, or attachment and clinging.

And yet, it’s not indifference or cold detachment. It is an intimate connection with self and others, but without the entanglements that can ensnare us. It’s feeling safe enough to stay open, learning to tolerate discomfort without shutting down.

We will also explore how equanimity can be an antidote to the polarisation we see around us, and how it helps us move beyond preference so we can meet life as it is. It supports us in loosening black-and-white thinking, where things are either good or bad, for or against, and invites a wider, more balanced view. Along the way, we’ll look at some of the forces that can knock us off our spacious equanimity: tightening around what we love into clinging, fear of difference, or the pull of righteousness in the face of what seems obviously wrong… the list goes on!

By the end of the weekend, our hope is that we will have had more of a direct taste of a balanced openness that brings ease and steady peacefulness – like being the sky around the passing weather fronts – and gained practical tools to continue cultivating this far reaching and powerful quality.

Tutor: Kristine Mackenzie-Janson and Jan Mayor

Dates: 11th-12th July 2026

Price: £185.00

Location: The Salisbury Centre, Edinburgh, for more details please click here.

Times: The course will run from 10.00am-17.00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Booking: To book this course please click Book Here.