Set Your Compassion Compass

By Miriam Hall

Many of us wonder how to begin the New Year on the right foot. One way is to start practices early on in the year and establish habits so we can return to them throughout the months. Many of us are looking for ways to soften but also strengthen our hearts. A great way to do that is to commit to compassion.

But many of us aren’t entirely sure what compassion is, much less find it easy to practice. Common questions around compassion include:

Can I be angry and compassionate at the same time? Does compassion for someone else mean ignoring my own pain or hurt? How do I know if what I am feeling is compassion or codependency? What’s the difference between compassion and empathy? Is compassion fatigue really a thing? If so, how do I deal with it? 

Do any of these questions sound familiar to you? If so, you are not alone. It's hard to orient to compassion as a key part of our lives if we don’t really understand it or feel we can’t practice it properly. You're invited to explore this further during our free online event: Karuna Live! Set Your Compassion Compass, held on January 18th. This primer will remind you of your inherent capacity for compassion and help clarify some of what are called the “near enemies” of compassion, which are the ways we confuse it with other, less helpful, states of mind.

One of Karuna Training's strengths lies in the many compassion practices we offer, including Four Immeasurables (aka Maitri/Metta/Loving Kindness), tonglen, four-step/FEEL, "self"-compassion, and compassionate exchange. In this short Karuna Live, get a sense of what different kinds of compassion practice can do for you, and then be led through a guided compassion practice. Come live to ask questions about where you struggle with compassion in your life. Bring a friend, and you can help each other remember to practice what's important to your hearts.