Compassion
Weekly Wellness Newsletter
The other day, I was sitting on my yoga mat after a practice, thinking about all of the classes and workshops I want to create. I started asking myself if it was too much. If I would overwhelm myself with all the work I wanted to do in this lifetime.
In that moment, I felt the need to open “The Sayings of the Buddha - Reflections for Every Day” book that was sitting in front of me on a shelf. It opened to page 125 and I read this quote:
“As from a large heap of flowers many garlands and wreaths are made, so by a mortal in this life is much good work to be done.” - Buddha
Well, if that wasn’t an affirmation I don’t know what is. That little spiritual reminder brought me back from feelings of worry to feelings of trust and wanting to follow what I feel in my heart to be good. And that’s continuing to work on all of these projects and put my work out into the world.
Question to ponder…
When you start to have feelings of worry or overthinking, how do you bring yourself back to the present moment to feel grounded once again?
One day, quite a few years ago (Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 to be exact…I only know this because I journaled it), I had a dream that inspired me to practice yoga and meditate as soon as I woke up. During my yoga practice, many little adjustments took place in my body, releasing some tension. After that, I sat down on my mat to meditate. I was having trouble concentrating and couldn’t stop thinking about the word “practice”. I was observing (maybe judging) my own practice in that moment.
All of a sudden, my whole mind’s eye filled with the colour pink and Buddha appeared. He was sitting cross-legged - meditating himself - with a huge, friendly, smile on his face. He brought such loving and peaceful energy and guided me into a deeper state of meditation, reminding me that this is a practice and to enjoy it as it is. Buddha told me that I don’t need to suffer and to not be attached to my practice in a way that it could disappoint me. Then I saw all the colours of the rainbow and slowly ended my meditation.
I had only been meditating for 8 minutes. As soon as I had seen Buddha, I had goosebumps all over my body. Feeling emotional, I started tearing up because I could feel his energy and knew it was his Spirit. He helped me to release a heaviness inside of me and reminded me to practice without attachment or judgement.
Many people find meditation daunting or believe that they have to shut their thoughts down in order to achieve a state of meditating. This is not true.
Meditation is a state of being. It is learning to become the observer of your thoughts rather than being consumed by your thoughts. It is a practice that should eventually be tapped into throughout your day but it can start with giving yourself some time each day to know and get used to the feeling.
You can start out by meditating for one to two minutes a day. Sit down in a comfortable spot, whether in a chair with your feet on the ground or maybe sitting cross-legged on the floor or a yoga mat. Maybe you want to lay down on the ground instead. All are fine. It’s important to keep your spine straight so that energy can easily flow through your body.
Close your eyes or keep them open and softly keep your gaze straight ahead of you. Start noticing your breath and follow it. Focusing on every inhale and every exhale. Just observing your natural breath without changing it.
Maybe you notice thoughts or stories being created in your mind, and if you do, just notice them and then let them go, without judgement. Realizing that you are not your thoughts but you have them. Bring your awareness back to your breath. Do this for a minute or two and then eventually you will strengthen your practice and be able to sit for longer periods of time.
There are many forms of meditation. Guided meditation, transcendental meditation, and even active meditation such as when you’re walking or riding a horse. The practice above is great if you’ve never tried meditation or you’re getting back into your practice. Even if you just want to calm your thoughts or your nerves for a moment and come back inwards to connect with yourself.
Compassion
We are all here on this earth to experience being human. We all make mistakes or do things we wish we didn’t do. We all experience ups and owns in our lives and have judged and felt judged. We all experience life from our own perception and perspective of things.
The Spirit message for this week is to remember to have compassion. We don’t know everything someone is going through or necessarily why they do the things they do. Holding compassion reminds us that we are all the same. We all have a soul and have come here to experience a very materialistic world with other souls. It is our experiences that help create who we are and we all experience things in our own unique way. If you don’t get along with someone or don’t like someone, you can still feel compassion towards them.
Compassion comes from being heart centered. It is trying to see things from someone’s perspective based on what they have experienced in life and being open to understanding them. To not be attached to what someone did based on how you feel about it.
We can do the same with ourselves. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Have compassion for what you’ve gone through in life and don’t judge too harshly. Compassion is one of the highest vibrational emotions we can feel and by feeling it, we can raise our frequency. We are all learning how to navigate this world in the best way possible. Everyone is different and yet the same, and when we look at ourselves and others with love and compassion, we can create a world in which there is more respect, understanding, and happiness.
Namaste.
With Gratitude,
