Why am i compassionate

Running this experiment does not require a workbook, purchasing a fancy meditation cushion, or buying trendy new yoga clothes. These practices, which are thousands of years old, can be done right in the comfort of your own home, at the office, in your car, or really anywhere, just as you are.

Afterward, reflection can take many forms—and you should adopt one that works for you. In my experience as a meditation student and as a meditation teacher, the practices are initially helpful when done with the guidance of an instructor.

The instructor can answer questions, help troubleshoot and problem-solve, and, most importantly, help you stick with and come back to your practice. This notion can get lost at times when doing these practices in solitude. You might find support at a religious community or center in your area, if you have one.

There are lots of good reasons why sometimes we intend to do compassion meditation practices, and yet, for whatever reason, we drop the ball. Additionally, one of the interesting opportunities that arises when we do not do our compassion meditation practices is to see if, in that moment, we can practice compassion for ourselves.

It is important to notice whether we are bringing any expectations to the compassion practice. While relaxation and stress relief can be the goal of some meditations, in general this is not the case with compassion meditation. Compassion is ultimately about suffering, which can at times feel difficult to sit with.

Finally, people often bring the expectation that because a compassion practice generated a certain feeling or experience before e. As I often tell my students, reality is constantly changing time is passing and the earth is rotating as you read this , and thus it is a bit of a fallacy to expect that we, and the practice, will be the same day in and day out. The good news is that there are many varieties of different contemplative practices available that can help you to become more present and non-judgmental.

Establishing new habits takes time. Be patient and keep trying. Hooria Jazaieri, Ph. You're mindful. When you're exercising compassion, you're putting yourself in the moment. Compassionate people aren't listening and checking their smartphones at the same time -- they're present, offering their empathetic response to the story right in front of them.

This awareness is crucial to compassion because it allows you to really focus on others rather than your own reflections. Not getting caught up in our thoughts is really helpful.

You have high emotional intelligence. Individuals who are tapped into their own compassion also seem to be tapped into their own emotions. When you're emotionally intelligent, you also have a greater sense of morality and you genuinely try to help others -- which are all crucial components of empathy. Compassionate people "understand that other people have a sovereign mind that sees the world differently than you do -- and one isn't right and one isn't wrong," Firestone says.

You express gratitude. One way to do that is to count the positives. Whether or not you've committed a lot of compassionate acts in your life, chances are you've been on the receiving end at least once or twice. Empathetic individuals not only acknowledge those acts of kindness done unto them, they actively express gratitude for them. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. We can imagine ourselves in her situation and experience strong feelings.

We are touched, sorrowful, upset. When we feel the feeling and stop there, that is empathy. When the emotions we feel when we encounter this homeless woman cause us to do something to help her or others in her situation, we are closer to compassion.

We recognize sympathy , identify with and feel empathy her pain and are inspired or impelled to alleviate it. So we bring her a blanket, buy her a meal, volunteer at a shelter, lobby for assisted housing, whatever we can do. Maybe all we can do is meet her eyes with ours to let her know that she is not invisible.

So what does compassion have to do with coaching? Few of us coach in tragic or desperate situations. For most coaching situations, whether we coach individuals or teams, that need is a desire to grow or move towards a desired change.