Kindness + Compassion

Two words we need to be aware of and constantly practice; kindness and compassion. Often it is easier to practice these when it comes to others but when it comes to ourselves practicing kindness and compassion can be difficult.  If your heart and chest are closed or blocked off are you able to truly practice and receive both kindness and compassion? We all carry some sort of baggage in one form or another.  We tend to build walls up and close ourselves off when it comes to difficult situations, people or things.  We begin our shut down mode.  Instead of learning how to deal with our problems and problematic situations we end up burying these things and embedding them into our hearts, therefore leaving unwanted debris and negativity weighing heavily onto our hearts and chest. Here is where stress falls into place, anxiety and depression.  

What if I told you all of that could change? When we open our hearts and chest we are able to truly give and receive unconditionally not only to ourselves but to others as well.  We can let go of anything that no longer serves value or purpose into our lives and we can live freely without having that weighted feeling in our hearts.  We begin simply by just acknowledging, then we build a practice around asana, pranayama and meditation to allow ourselves to be open.   

I am big on heart openers in my yoga practice.  It doesn't have to be advanced in fact, you can be a beginner and start off small.  Simple asana's to help open up your heart are laying on blocks, cat/cow, cobra, bow, bridge/supported bridge or even full wheel.  When I have a full practice just solely based on opening up through my chest and heart at the end of my practice I feel as though a weight has been lifted off of my chest, like I am able to breathe more freely without restrictions.  

So I ask you this, during the most difficult of days, the saddest, the hardest, the day where you feel like you have nothing left to give are you truly able to still practice kindness and compassion towards others? Most importantly, are you able to be kind towards yourself on those days and are you able to show yourself compassion? 

Next time you feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, chest or heart try a yoga practice with heart openers whether it is in the comfort of your own home, a local studio or in your backyard.