Equanimity and inner strength come from a mature outlook on life. At the earlier stages of our journey, we are reactive, we blame others for our problems, we are easily swayed by our moods, and quick to get angry. These are just some of the many ways we rob ourselves of peace of mind and the joy of living.

We are divine spiritual beings in human bodies. Our ultimate purpose is to rediscover our innate spiritual nature. Our human lives and everyday experiences are meant to help us bring out this divinity from within. As it unfolds, we will come to experience a greater peace, equanimity, and inner strength to face life.

Without the knowledge of our spiritual nature and higher purpose of life, we will be completely swept away by worldly attractions, our desires, and attachments. None of these things matter in the end because we take nothing with us when we die. We leave all our money, possessions, loved ones, titles, and skills behind.  In fact, we can’t even take our bodies with us.

Understanding the higher purpose of life and learning how to live to bring out the divinity from within is, therefore, a top priority.

Keep spiritual company every day

The first and most important thing to do to gain equanimity and inner strength to face life is to keep spiritual company every day. This is called satsang in Sanskrit.

“Satsang” is made of two root words—sat and sang. Sat means “spiritual truth”, “good” or “noble”. And sang means “being in the company of” or “in association with.”

And so, satsang means being associated with spiritual truth which is good and noble. This is learning about the truth of our divine nature, our connection with God or the Universe, our purpose in life and how to be happy through self-improvement.

Water droplet reaching upwards. Be in the company of all that is good and noble every day to gain equanimity and inner strength.There are many benefits to satsang.

You can engage in satsang in many ways: You can listen to talks given by spiritual teachers, meet with other like-minded people to discuss spirituality, read spiritual or inspirational books, magazines, and articles on your own.

You can attend regular services at a place of worship where people gather to pray, sing devotional hymns, and read from holy books.

Everything that you take in through satsang positively influences the quality of your mind. It instills it with higher ideals and noble emotions that help to keep you inspired and on path. This is vital because we spend most, if not all our focus on worldly concerns.

And so, Satsang gives you equanimity and inner strength to face life.

Pray and meditate daily

Prayer tunes the mind to the divine, the infinite source of power.

Sit daily in your sacred space and invoke the remembrance of God or the divine in any form you can relate to.

Begin by remembering your blessings and thanking the universe for them. You don’t have to use any formal language; the best prayer is one that comes directly from your heart.

Surrender your negative emotions, anxiety, and worries to the divine higher power. To surrender, simply say, “I surrender (or release) this to you.”

You will be surprised to see how this simple act will bring a sense of calm. The universe is always listening and waiting to help. But you must invoke its presence and ask for help and support.

When the mind is turned towards the divine, it becomes naturally quieter. With such a quiet mind, gently close your eyes and slip into meditation.

Daily prayer and meditation are sure ways to gain peace of mind, equanimity, and inner strength to face life.

Have faith that everything happens for your spiritual evolution

Prayer and meditation strengthen you from within as you come to know and have faith that there is a divine higher power that is always with you. It takes away your worries and fears and protects and guides you. It sustains your very life. Every breath that you take affirms this.

Know that the loving divine universe will never bring you any purposeless pain or sorrow. Everything that happens is precise, purposeful, and watched over by that great intelligence.

Peaceful, yellow lotus with words to help gain equanimity and inner strength. The words say, stop resisting and accept what you cannot change as a gift for your higher evolution.And so, we must accept what comes to us unasked, that is out of our control as a gift for our higher evolution. Short-term pain may be just what we need for our inner growth and happiness in the long-term.

When we resist and complain, we are asserting that we know better than the supreme intelligence of the universe. We are saying that somehow there was a mistake in bringing a certain set of sorrow-giving circumstances into our lives.

Faith in the divine helps us see life from a higher perspective. This naturally brings equanimity and inner strength to see all situations as opportunities to learn and grow from.

Cultivate inner wealth

Any outer wealth that we gain such as money, property, investments, and so on, is left behind when we die. But when we cultivate inner wealth, it stays with us as part of our character. And if you accept that we live more than one life, then this is the only wealth that we can bring with us on our onward journey after death to our next life.

What is this inner wealth? It is heart-based virtues which are also termed as divine qualities.

They are qualities such as humility, honesty, gratitude, kindness, patience, acceptance, forbearance, compassion, forgiveness, faith in God, and love.

These are called divine qualities because they bring out the divinity lying inside every one of us. And so, imbibing these qualities help to advance our spiritual growth.

Even if you look at it from an everyday perspective, having these qualities is useful. They promote peace within and harmony with others around. Think about how being humble, kind and honest brings peace to your mind and puts others around you at ease.

What’s important to remember is that these qualities have to become a part of our character and not simply to be displayed at the right time for our personal gain or convenience.

These qualities build integrity of character which brings inner strength and courage to face life with equanimity.

Feed the mind positive inputs

To keep the mind healthy and to build inner equanimity and strength to face life ups and downs, the mind must be fed with positive inputs. This will nurture uplifting vibrations which will make the mind less inclined to harbour negativity.

A mind habituated to negative thinking will immediately go weak in the face of difficulties.

We become what and whom we spend time with. Negativity from the outer world contaminates the mind and makes it vibrate similar negativity. We must be very discerning when it comes to choosing who and what we keep company with.

For example, we must be careful about the people with whom we spend our time, the flow of our conversations, the news we listen to and read, the social media platforms we participate in, and the programs and movies we watch. We become what and whom we spend time with.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself when making everyday choices: Is doing this worthwhile?  Is this uplifting or am I doing this just to pass the time? Is it bringing me what I really want in life? Am I learning and growing? Does (name of person) hold positive energy? How do I feel when I’m with him/her? Are our interactions respectful, kind and loving?

Taking some time to stop and question your activities and the company you keep helps you recalibrate and make higher choices in life.

When your own mind is negative, you can’t blame anyone else for stealing away your inner peace and equanimity.

Spend time in solitude for introspection

It’s important to take some time alone every day to reflect on your life and watch your thoughts. Usually when we have some time alone, we fill it (and our minds), with some form of activity such as watching TV, checking text messages or emails, or surfing the Internet.

In the practice of sitting in solitude, you put everything aside. You simply allow the thoughts to come up and become aware of them.

This simple practice will give you an idea what your mind is made of, and through that knowing, clarity about how you are really living your life. You may gain some insights or different perspectives into the situations and people in your life that may surprise or even shock you.

Spending time in solitude to introspect like this can be scary because you will come face to face with your own weaknesses, faults, life choices, and habits. But it is an essential practice on the spiritual path. It empowers you with self-awareness—the very first step to inner transformation.

When you become aware of what you need to change or improve, you will naturally want to take the necessary steps toward these adjustments. And, when you act on what you know you must do or needs to be done, you gain inner strength, equanimity, and confidence to face life.

Integral spiritual disciplines that help you gain equanimity and inner strength

Your spiritual journey begins with regular satsang—keeping spiritual company. This gives you a higher perspective of life through the spiritual knowledge that you gain.

This knowledge affirms the existence of a loving, divine higher power that sustains and protects us. This motivates you to start to pray and meditate regularly. This in turn cultivates your faith in the supreme power and gives you the ability to surrender and accept things that you cannot change.

Next, cultivating noble qualities of the heart builds integrity of character and promotes both inner and outer peace. And lastly, spending time in solitude helps you live with greater self-awareness and gives you the motivation to improve yourself and your life.

These are the integral spiritual disciplines that can help you gain equanimity and inner strength to meet life successfully and happily.

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Manisha Melwani

Manisha Melwani is a teacher and the author of, "Your Spiritual Journey" She offers spiritual and wellness solutions for life and stress management. She teaches classes in personal growth, stress management and meditation. Contact her for more information or to have her speak to your group or organization. She also offers private counseling sessions on-line.
Manisha Melwani

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