compassion in the chaos.

All the major religions place important on compassion. Compassion means “to suffer with” another. The stronger and healthier I get, the more capacity I have to be compassionate with others. Today, I am feeling the need to be compassionate with myself, to give myself time to feel and embrace the chaos inside of me. My feelings are borne out of our collective state, but the chaos arises from my own reactions. I know in my head that I cannot control what others do that lead to divisiveness and devaluation of integrity and respect for others. The lack of ethics in our country permeates the news, the entertainment industry, the White House, and ultimately our souls. I want to cry out for justice, and yet my voice struggles to find a way to be heard. In Scripture, Jesus invites us into a relationship with him and with God so that “our joy may be complete”—yes, that is what we seek but getting there is the difficult journey. Yoga helps us to get grounded again back into what we CAN control, starting with releasing the tensions in our bodies and taming our emotions. But today, for me, it is easier said than done. As the yogis teach, energy follows thought, so I go back into my inner cave, the cave of the heart, and ask for guidance to release what I cannot change and to embrace my own intuition and wisdom to let go of what isn’t mine anyway. In the silence, I remember that it is well. I am free so long as I allow myself to be free. Today, I begin again, like every day. Reconnecting with the divine gives me strength and purpose to walk alongside others, trusting that together our voices will indeed make a difference for healing, one heart and body at a time.

Peace, namaste,

Gena+