The Yogabliss on-line Moving into Meditation class met this morning. We shared the practice of cultivating compassion. All of us have been deeply touched by the pain and suffering we witness every day. Sometimes it’s really hard not to look away or shut down. The mindfulness practice of cultivating compassion or loving kindness is a way of responding by staying present with what is difficult and also tapping into the love and kindness that truly is our super power.
We started with a short loving kindness practice inspired by Diana Winston. Diana is Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. You can practice at home by going to her podcast, Getting Out of Your Head.
We drew on meditation instructor, Oren Jay Sofer including his recent talk, Introduction to Loving Kindness. His very worthwhile talk offers context, instructions and helpful suggestions including a guided meditation.
Next time you need a little breathing break you might check out meditation and author, Sharon Salzberg’s delightful short animation, Where Does Compassion Really Come From?
Explore giving your heart’s attention to Corinna Luyken’s children’s book, My Heart. You’ll find it toward the end of Maria Popova’s post on Favorite Children’s Books of 2019,