Breathe Out Compassion

This morning I sat in awe of the bounty of good in my life. I also say with the incredible pain and suffering that exists in the world I live in, including my own.

From the pain and sorrow I watch my oldest son and his family endure, to the everyday worries so many of us feel collectively, to the mass amount of sadness and loss the world has experienced of recent months. It was all present in my heart today. And yet, my heart was also consumed with compassion.

As I sat taking in the beauty of Life, I began to practice a heart centered meditation called toglen. Toglen is Tibetan for ‘giving and taking’ (or sending and receiving). Toglen is essentially breathing in the suffering of others , and breathing out compassion. You have to be in a good place because the consuming of others pain can be very hard if you’re at all emotionally fragile or drained.

I breathed in the pain of my son’s sorrow and breathed out so much love. I took in the sadness of the world and breathed out deep compassion. I even took a breath in of the calls of the ducks flying over head as they searched out food and water, and sent them love.

It’s so easy to be kind and compassionate. Just breathe.

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