Today in yoga, the instructor began the class by telling us that the three things he would take from yoga onto a desert island would be breathing, meditation and compassion.
He talked about how as we breathe, we should take in things which enhance our life, like confidence, happiness, serenity, and as we exhale we should let go of the negative; anxiety, stress, guilt and the like. Rather than simply doing this for a few hours a week in class, we should try to bring yoga into our everyday. To remove things in our life which get us down, and to try to bring the sense of calmness from our practise into everything we do.
As for mediation, I love the idea of taking a few minutes out from our busy, hectic lives to just be. To focus only on our breathing and to centre ourselves without distractions or worry. It's something I've tried occasionally, but I'm going to try to find ten minutes every day to meditate, or even just to put my phone away and listen to some music. (Also, is it bad that sometimes my favourite part of class is lying/sitting down at the end and relishing in the peacefulness swimming over me?)
Compassion is something there can never be enough of, especially in the tumultuous and cruel world we live in. All we ever seem to see in the news is stories of hatred, of intolerance, and of people causing other human beings hurt and upset. Compassion is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful traits someone can have. To understand and sympathise with someone, putting them ahead of yourself, or simply being there. People moan about Valentines Day, but without sounding trite or like a cheesy message in a card from the pound store, there should be as much love, and celebration of it, in our world as possible.
With so many awful things happening globally, and less publicised, but no less significant personal traumas, happening every day, I think it's important to remember that others are going through what you are. That although we can feel alone, and as if things are crashing down around us, there will be someone there with enough compassion in their heart to reach out to us. And if we can all do the same, and try not to judge, but to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, the world would be a far more beautiful place.
So rather than moaning about not having anyone to spend Valentine's Day with (lol single life eva), I'm going to make a more conscious effort to live with more compassion and empathy, and to celebrate the gift of unconditional love I have every day from my friends and family. Love overcomes hate, and even if it's a commercialised, money-making scam, it's nice to have a day to remember that.
Honor xxx
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