….be kind than right.
I learned that long ago, working with people with cognitive disabilities. It just made sense. By giving up the need to be right and have things “my way,” the job became easier, more productive, and more beneficial/therapeutic for the people with whom I worked and for myself.
Later in life, I learned that kindness is an important element of the first limb of yoga—the Yamas, or social code of conduct.
Kindness is a powerful tool for transformation, on the mat and in the world. On the mat, we can practice being kind, gentle, and supportive with ourselves. We can be responsive to the wisdom and needs of the body, mind, and breath. And then the practice continues off the mat, and toward others.
If we can be kind to ourselves and others, we can alleviate much of our own suffering.
It’s helpful to kindly remember that we are always doing our best, which may look different under different conditions. If we could do better, we would. When we apply that generous principle to others--that others are doing their best, too--the quality of life becomes easier and more satisfying for everyone.
Our “kindness quotient” is an important indicator of how we are doing life. It is a direct reflection of our mental, emotional, and physical health. When we don’t feel well, it’s much harder to be kind. Physical pain, emotional distress, and negative mental turmoil are challenging obstacles to kindness.
By applying kindness to others and ourselves, we get to observe the obstacles and work to heal them. Through self-study (Svadhyaya, in Sanskrit), we can untangle the confusion that makes us reactive, harsh, hurried, resistant, uncaring, and contracted.
Through practice, we remember that kindness is easy, natural, and empowering. Contraction is a false sense of control, in which we suffer in ignorance. Yoga shows us that strength, alignment, comfort, and self-control come from expansion.
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