Compassionate Practice

Today I went to see His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, speak. It was my second opportunity to be in the presence of such a great man and once again, his words moved me many times during the hour and a half that he spoke.

After his talk, there was a Q&A session with the final question on the nature of compassion; can compassion be learned or must we be born with it? The answer was this: we are born with the ability to have compassion for those who surround us with affection, those whom we love and those who love us.

Going beyond our circle, particularly for those who may wish to harm us or those who wish to harm others, compassion must be learned. Practiced. This type of compassion can take a lifetime to develop.

At the beginning of each Moksha yoga class, we are asked to set an intention for the class. Sometimes this intention is to stay with the breath, for example. For your next class, I invite you to set an intention of compassion - for yourself. Because compassion for ourselves, while seemingly self-centered, is absolutely essential for creating compassion for others.

The next time you look in the mirror during eagle pose and feel the judging mind about to critique your stance, smile and thank yourself for coming to class in the first place. Thank yourself for making the time to nurture your body and soul and for understanding that you are worth it and you deserve that attention. Once this base of compassion towards yourself is solid, you will feel yourself opening up to others.

Namaste.