Compassion is powerful
First, I want to start this new year with saying how humbled I am to be in this community alongside you. It is vital, now more than ever, that we come together and stay grounded. We promise to lead from a yogic perspective, to collectively settle our nervous systems, and dedicate time to stay/return to embodiment. I am hopeful with third spaces like Yess, that we can stay focused on communal care and personal wellbeing.
We will return to our new moon themes for 2025. I am happy to connect with you all around topics most important to us and the yogic lifestyle. January’s theme will be compassion.
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Let’s be honest, sometimes being informed can make our bodies feel really terrible. Or our minds depressed, worried, and/or afraid. It can be easier to remove ourselves from the noise to protect our wellbeing. We will all need breaks and rest. Please offer yourself this pause to resettle into your true self.
As we work on making routines that support our lives, may I suggest including compassion into the mix. Compassion is a gift not only to others, but also to yourself. It can give you the grace to make space for your body and mind. It can be a way to show solitary with others. It is the way to stay engaged with a chaotic world and not feel like you personally have to make changes in all the areas that make your heart ache.
I was so lucky to read “Sensitive” by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo this year. Thank you Meghan Foley for suggesting this book. In the book, I learned about the gifts of Highly Sensitive People including our ability to notice others in a very real way. It is however, this empathy that can make the world feel too-much for so many of us. The authors suggested to move from empathy to compassion. As compassion, unlike empathy, is a source for movement forward. It gives you the power back to stay informed, engaged, and witness when you need a break.
Compassion keeps us unified, which is the yogic way, while also being able to stay grounded. Additionally, “…when we tap compassion, … we increase our courage. And courage, ultimately, is what sensitive people need to make a difference in our too-much world—because it allows us to be strong in the face of suffering.” ― Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo, Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World.
It would mean the world to us that together, we tap into our ability to stay compassionately courageous. We can do this in many ways. Perhaps you do this by noticing when the world feels shaky that you take a break, maybe even at Yess. It’s when you stand up with your visions for our world in your creative way. It’s your willingness to check in with another. It’s your continued capacity to support the changing world in the areas of growth you want to see come to flourish. When you stand in your compassion, you maintain your power and also share it with others effectively.
“Almost nothing is more calming than the presence of a person with unflinching compassion. They care, but they don’t panic; they speak up, but they do not command.” ― Jenn Granneman, Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World. We would love for you to be at Yess as often as you can, so please reach out if you need a financial plan to get you in classes more frequently. Because if I know anything, yoga works. It’s the way to return to a state of compassion regularly for so many of us. If we can offer anything right now, it’s yoga and compassion.
*I was first introduced to the term Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) by Lynn Salmon-Easter, the reiki practitioner at Yess. She is an incredible supporter for all people, especially those who take in the world through their senses. Check out her workshop this Friday with Elisabeth (listed below).