Cultivate Compassion

"If it is not tempered by compassion, and empathy, reason can lead men and women into a moral void.”

-Karen Armstrong

Compassion is different to Empathy which is to understand the feelings of another being. Compassion is an awareness of another’s situation as well as a desire to help. It inspires you to take action.

While many of the Yamas (Social Ethics) and Niyamas (Personal Observances) can be viewed through a filter of Compassion, Ahimsa meaning non-violence and non-harming, promotes the core of compassion, encouraging loving-kindness in actions and thoughts toward others.

You can apply this to yourself as well - sometimes you are too self-critical and to flourish, you might consider making space to observe that you’re doing your best given the circumstances! The Niyama of Santosha asks us to accept things - including ourselves - as they are in the present moment. A moment in time but part of the longer arc of our personal growth story.