self compassion

Ahimsa Begins With Ourselves | Week One of a Month of Compassion

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Week One of Our February Yoga Theme: Ahimsa — A Month of Compassion

Introduction

Ahimsa, often translated as non-harming, is one of the foundational principles of yoga philosophy. While it’s easy to think of ahimsa as something we practice outwardly—toward others, animals, or the world—it begins much closer to home.

Week One of our February theme invites us to turn inward and explore ahimsa toward ourselves. This is where compassion takes root. This is where true softness and sustainable strength are born.

What Does Ahimsa Toward Ourselves Mean?

Practicing ahimsa with ourselves means noticing the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways we cause harm internally:

  • Harsh self-talk
  • Pushing past pain or exhaustion
  • Ignoring emotional needs
  • Judging our bodies, choices, or perceived shortcomings

Self-directed violence is often quiet and normalized—but it deeply shapes how we move through the world.

Ahimsa toward ourselves is not indulgence or avoidance. It is honest care. It is listening. It is choosing kindness without force.

On the Mat: Practicing Self-Compassion in Yoga

This week’s yoga practices emphasize:

  • Slower pacing and intentional transitions
  • Permission to rest, modify, or pause
  • Awareness of internal dialogue during movement
  • Choosing sensation over performance

Rather than asking, “How far can I go?” we gently ask, “What would feel kind right now?”

This approach builds trust with the body and nervous system—something especially important during times of stress, healing, or uncertainty.

Off the Mat: Ahimsa in Daily Life

You may notice this week’s theme showing up beyond your yoga practice. Some gentle reflections to explore:

  • How do I speak to myself when things feel hard?
  • Where might I be pushing when listening would serve me better?
  • What would change if I treated myself the way I treat someone I love?

Small acts of self-kindness—resting without guilt, setting gentle boundaries, offering yourself patience—are powerful expressions of ahimsa.

A Simple Week One Practice

Self-Compassion Pause

Once a day, pause for three slow breaths.

  • Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly.
  • Inhale: I am listening.
  • Exhale: I choose kindness.

Let this be enough.

Essential Oil Support (Optional)

Rose or Bergamot — both oils gently support the heart and emotional body, making them especially aligned with self-compassion.

  • Rose invites tenderness, self-love, and emotional healing. It reminds us that softness is strength.
  • Bergamot offers lightness and encouragement, helping ease self-judgment and lift heavy inner dialogue.

Diffuse during practice or apply (diluted) over the heart space or wrists as a gentle reminder to meet yourself with kindness.

Closing Reflection

Ahimsa does not ask us to be perfect. It asks us to be present.

As we begin this month together, may we remember that compassion practiced inwardly ripples outward—softening our edges, deepening our resilience, and shaping how we meet the world.

This is where the practice begins.

Be sure to grab my book 52 Weeks of Wisdom and Wellness for more mindfulness practices.

Turning 55: 55 Pieces of Wisdom Gained Through Living, Healing, and Presence

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Turning 55 feels less like reaching a milestone and more like arriving home.

Home to myself.

With each year, life has gently—and sometimes not so gently—polished the rough edges, softened my grip on what doesn’t matter, and strengthened my trust in what does. Wisdom, I’ve learned, isn’t about having answers. It’s about learning how to listen: to the body, the heart, the breath, and the quiet voice within.

Here are 55 pieces of wisdom that 55 years of living, loving, healing, and beginning again have taught me.

55 Pieces of Wisdom

  1. Your body is not the enemy; it is the messenger.
  2. Rest is productive.
  3. Healing is rarely linear—and that’s okay.
  4. Presence changes everything.
  5. You don’t need permission to change.
  6. Boundaries are an act of love, not rejection.
  7. Silence can be deeply nourishing.
  8. Slowing down often gets you where you need to go faster.
  9. Comparison steals joy.
  10. Breath is always available—use it.
  11. Strength looks different in every season.
  12. Asking for help is a skill, not a failure.
  13. The nervous system remembers kindness.
  14. Small rituals can anchor big lives.
  15. Not everything needs fixing.
  16. Trust builds through consistency, not perfection.
  17. Pain can be a teacher without being the definition of your life.
  18. You are allowed to grieve what never was.
  19. Hope can be quiet and still be powerful.
  20. Listening is more transformative than advising.
  21. Your worth does not decline with age—it deepens.
  22. Energy is precious; spend it wisely.
  23. Being gentle is a form of strength.
  24. The body responds to safety before effort.
  25. You can begin again at any moment.
  26. Joy doesn’t need a reason.
  27. Saying no creates space for a truer yes.
  28. Wisdom often comes from lived experience, not books.
  29. The present moment is enough.
  30. Consistency beats intensity.
  31. You don’t have to carry everything alone.
  32. Compassion includes yourself.
  33. The way you speak to yourself matters.
  34. Growth sometimes looks like rest.
  35. Trust your intuition—it’s been practicing longer than you think.
  36. Letting go creates room to breathe.
  37. Aging is not something to resist; it’s something to inhabit.
  38. Stillness is not stagnation.
  39. Love expands when it’s shared freely.
  40. Being embodied is a lifelong practice.
  41. Progress can be subtle and still meaningful.
  42. You don’t owe anyone your depletion.
  43. Presence is more valuable than productivity.
  44. Wisdom often whispers.
  45. Adaptation is a form of resilience.
  46. Your story matters, exactly as it is.
  47. Living slowly is a radical act.
  48. Patience is built through practice.
  49. There is beauty in becoming.
  50. What you nurture grows.
  51. You are more than what you do.
  52. Trust takes time—especially with yourself.
  53. Meaning often lives in the ordinary.
  54. Your breath can always bring you home.
  55. It’s never too late to live with intention.

Closing Reflection

At 55, I’m no longer chasing life—I’m meeting it.

With curiosity. With compassion. With a deeper trust in my body and my becoming.

May we all honor the wisdom that comes not just from years lived, but from moments fully felt.

The Power of Authenticity: Staying True to Yourself in a World of Comparison

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We live in a world that constantly invites us to compare — our bodies, our homes, our achievements, our happiness. The quiet scroll through social media can easily become a spiral of self-doubt, leaving us wondering if we measure up or if we’re enough.

But here’s the truth: you are not meant to be a copy of anyone else. The beauty of your life lies in the uniqueness of your story — your rhythms, your seasons, your way of seeing and being in the world.

Authenticity Over Approval

At our core, we all crave acceptance. It’s part of our human design — to be seen, to belong, to be loved. Yet, the line between being accepted and abandoning our authenticity can blur easily. We start shaping ourselves to fit expectations, dimming what makes us different in hopes of being liked or understood.

Authenticity asks something much deeper of us. It asks for courage. The courage to stand in our truth even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain. It’s the willingness to show up — imperfectly, honestly, and wholly — and to trust that who we are is already enough.

Balancing Belonging and Being Real

Being authentic doesn’t mean rejecting connection or community. It means participating fully as yourself. It’s the sweet balance between honoring your truth and allowing others to honor theirs.

When we practice mindfulness, we learn to witness comparison as it arises — not with judgment, but with compassion. We can acknowledge the part of us that longs to belong, and gently remind it: belonging built on pretending isn’t belonging at all.

True connection comes when we bring our full selves to the table — our stories, scars, and quirks included.

Mindful Reflection: Coming Home to You

Take a quiet moment today to reflect:

  • When do you feel most like yourself?
  • Where in your life are you trying to fit in rather than be real?
  • What would authenticity look like — even in small ways — this week?

Allow your answers to guide you toward alignment.

The Freedom of Being You

When we stop comparing and start embracing, life softens. The noise quiets. We begin to live with more ease, purpose, and joy.

Authenticity doesn’t require us to be perfect — it simply invites us to be present and honest. And that is where peace truly lives.

Authenticity as a Yoga Practice

Yoga teaches us to return to our breath, to our bodies, and to the truth of the present moment. On the mat, there is no need to perform — only to feel and listen. Each breath becomes an invitation to come home to ourselves, just as we are.

When we carry that awareness off the mat, authenticity becomes a way of living — a mindful practice of choosing truth over image, compassion over comparison, and alignment over approval.

So, as you move through this season, may you permit yourself to be beautifully, unapologetically you. That is the most authentic gift you can give — to yourself and to the world.