Meditation, in essence, means compassion and awareness. This week we’ll examine what compassion is and how we use it in our meditation practice.
Compassion is the feeling that occurs when another person is suffering, and we then feel motivated to ease that suffering. Compassion literally means “to suffer together.”
In meditation, we practice compassion for ourselves. When you focus on your breath, you let go of judging your own thoughts and feelings.
You deserve to be kind to yourself. Always.
Be as kind to yourself as you would be to your most beloved friend. This, ultimately, improves our compassion to everyone around us.
“It is said that we can't attain enlightenment, let alone feel contentment and joy, without seeing who we are and what we do, without seeing our patterns and our habits. This is called maitri – developing loving-kindness and an unconditional friendship with ourselves.” ― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart
Reading Recommendations
It's Not Mindfulness Without Kindness - Mindful
I think rather than using the word mindfulness, perhaps kindfulness is better—it reminds you to be forgiving and friendly as you practice.
The Best Kept Secret to Happiness & Health: Compassion | Psychology Today
An unusual and surprising look into the research on compassion. Spoiler: being happier is by far not the only benefit of compassion.
Personas, jobs to be done, user needs = goals + pain points
A short and interesting article on the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework vs. the usage of user personas. The author states that when done correctly, both focus on the user's goals and pains.
Weekly Mindfulness Practice
Try to take one deep, conscious breath every time you sit down today. Conscious breathing connects our mind and body with the current moment. When done regularly, it works wonders for clarity and stress relief.
End note
When this was interesting to you, there might be someone you know who will also like this. Please consider forwarding this mail to that person.
Have a great week
Simon
PS: If you found an article you think others might like and that fits this newsletter, I’d love it if you write me an email.