Tag: compassion

With Loving Kindness

It’s December of 2017 and what a crazy year this has been throughout the world! Earlier today, I asked one of my clients how she was feeling. Instead of telling me she felt stressed or frazzled, which is a typical response, she said, “I’d say I’m stressed, but there are so many people far worse off than I am.” The fires here in Southern California are finally dying down. While I experienced a bad power outage and had to be evacuated from one of my jobs, this is nothing compared with those who have lost there homes; it’s nothing compared…

Be Kind, For Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle.

There is a famous quote that has been attributed to Plato and John Watson (aka, Ian MacLaren) that goes: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. This quote is my mantra of teaching. It is also the hardest part of teaching. I know that people come to class expecting to suffer. I know how hard it is to have a body that might have been neglected or traumatized by injuries, aging or disease. The courage that it takes to focus on something that most people choose to ignore is immense. When we challenge ourselves with any…