Compassion Cultivation – How to be more compassionate

“Compassion cultivation towards yourself and others can transform yourself from within.”

Compassion is one of the few habits you can practice daily that can bring both short term and long term happiness to your life. It is truly something that can change the very way you think and experience yourself as well as other people in your life. The type that can bring true and lasting happiness.

What is Compassion?

Understanding what compassion is your first step towards cultivating and practicing it in your daily life. Compassion is an emotional response generated within us that help us to feel the suffering of another living being as our own. When we are compassionate, we show kindness to those who are suffering.

How can you practice Compassion Cultivation daily?

• Morning Ritual: A morning ritual is one of the best things you can do not only to cultivate compassion but to have a sense of balance and clarity in your daily life. Integrating a small compassion practice into your morning routine is a very easy way to get started. You can simply start with an affirmation to yourself such as “Today I will be more compassionate towards myself as well as everyone I come across.”

• Start with yourself: You cannot serve from an empty plate. To show compassion for others, you need to first fully accept your own shortcomings with open arms and show compassion for yourself. At the end of every day, think about all the things you could’ve done better and show some love and care for yourself.

• Put yourself in someone else’s shoes: We spend a fair amount of time of our lives thinking about our own problems. And this is normal and okay as well. Whenever you hear or know that someone you know or even don’t personally know is suffering from something, try to imagine yourself put in that same situation. This will help you cultivate compassion from a very deep sense of your being.

• Listen to other people generously: Most of us have a tendency to talk about our own lives. A lot more than we are willing to listen to from other people. We interrupt, judge and even offer quick fixes while the other person is talking. We are all guilty of this, Including myself. In the beautiful silence of listening without interruption, we are able to relate and connect to the other person much better.

• Practice Kindness, without any expectations: This one’s a bit hard. Not because we are bad people, but because society has rewired our brains as we grew up to be a little selfish. We are all a little selfish and that’s okay. However, we are all capable of doing something for someone as an act of kindness whenever we can. Start small and you’ll see how far it can take you.

These are just some of the little things you can start immediately from wherever in the world you are. There’s so much more you can do to start being more compassionate towards yourself and others. Long lasting happiness is a result of little things you do and don’t do which over time contributes to how you live and connect to all beings during your time here. It’s entirely in our hands. Let’s get started!