I messaged my subscribers for their suggestions for our theme for the month of March and the responses made for wonderful reading. Overwhelmingly the response was compassion. You guys rock!

We all like to consider ourselves to be compassionate. But what does it mean to live compassionately? As you may know; compassion is at the heart of Buddha’s teachings. Karuṇā or compassion is the wish for others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. Let’s spare ourselves the details and intricacies of compassion and the various traditions that teach it, and simply agree that is sounds like a stupendous thing to practice.

I’m looking forward to this month because it’s not something “new” I’ll be teaching students. I believe compassion is our natural state. It’s innate within each of us, but time constraints, financial pressures, ego and a feeling of lack can make us feel less than compassionate.

Compassionate living has the potential to open hearts and minds to others, as we break away from the lonely confines of just thinking about ourselves.

Enough theory... Let's put this into practice

• Invite compassion towards your body when you move about your day, or practice asana. Remember rushing and ego strip away compassion.

• Censor the news stories/ social media accounts that so clearly report a lack of compassion. Instead seek out examples of wonderful people living compassionately. We’re a reflection of our environment.

• Ponder the concept that there’s no difference between compassion for yourself and all living beings. For those I'm fortunate enough to be teaching this month; expect some seriously sweet and compassionate seqeunces, and metta meditations.

I'm pleased to say there's a small group of wonderfully compassionate and curious students gathering to immerse themselves in yoga and meditation.

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