compassion | Happy Yogis

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Posted by Elle on Apr 14, 2011 | 0 comments

This is one of my FAVORITE Dalai Lama quotes. It is sooo true, and even the smallest sign of compassion can change someone’s whole day around. Have you ever thought about who your favorite friends are? They are ALWAYS the people that make you feel good about yourself. AND BONUS! If you make someone feel good about themselves, you will feel great as well!

Sometimes it can be hard though. I know that if I’m having a super rotten day, I run to the store for some peanut butter ice cream and don’t even think twice about the teller who rang me up or how her day is going. But what if we all did? It would make a HUGE impact! In one of the books I read about the Dalai Lama (he’s so inspirational!) it talks about how he will spend 30 minutes talking to one of the maids at his hotel, or stop to have a chat with a taxi driver he found interesting. And didn’t Jesus do the same thing?? I think there is a trend here….

There is a lot of power in kindness. A drive-thru Starbucks shop once told about their first customer that day- A woman pulled up to the window, accepted her Starbucks order and then paid for both her own order and the order of the car behind her. When the second car got to the window, the driver was stunned and offered to pay for the car behind him. The trend continued all day! And you can bet that each of those cars pulled away feeling a notch better about life and with more zeal for the day. One act of kindness can spur a whole day kindness and compassion!

This has been something I have found that I need to work on in my own life recently. I feel extremely fortunate and blessed in my life and I really couldn’t ask for more at this particular moment, but there ARE people that could! I feel strongly that when times are good for myself, I need to think about the people who are in the midst of hard times. Because eventually we will all have a hard time and will need someone to lean on.

One of the ways I’ve found to do this is to donate time. Eventually I hope to be able to donate my money as well, but since I just purchased a house, for now time must do. Garret and I are attending an orientation tonight for the Make-a-Wish foundation. Maybe it will be a good fit, and maybe it won’t, but I’m excited to attend and see what the organization is all about. The good news though is that regardless of the outcome, I don’t need to be a volunteer to give back. Simply taking time to talk to the grocer at the store, or to be friendly with your ATT representative on the phone, or bringing flowers from your yard to your neighbor, or baking a loaf of bread for a friend can really brighten someones day!!!

One of my favorite ways to say thank you is to bake a loaf of bread. Every now and then I will spend a whole Saturday kneading dough and then wrap each loaf in wax paper tied with some leftover knitting yarn and will give a loaf to the people who have been kind to me. Not only do friends love to receive and enjoy a loaf of bread, I spend a Saturday getting covered in flour and loving every minute of it! If you are ever looking for a new way to meditate- bake bread! And then break bread with friends!!

So be kind and compassionate! And you will reap the benefits as well!

The Importance of Self-Compassion

Posted by Elle on Mar 3, 2011 | Comments Off

I just received a great article recommendation from a fellow CrossFitter. Check out this article on the importance of being self-compassionate: “Go Easy on Yourself, a New Wave of Research Urges”. Remember, the most important thing you can do for your health, is to love yourself.