The Greenery of the Heart
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." Jack Kornfield.
Hello dear seekers,
Monday blessings, Saint Patrick’s Day, and the many shades of green that meet us this time of year. Perhaps it's the greens of nature stretching toward the sun or the green glow of the Anahata chakra—the heart center, our wellspring of compassion. Wherever you are, I invite you to pause.
As you settle into this moment, adjust yourself for comfort. Let your breath smooth out, inviting presence. If it serves, place a hand on your heart space. Breathe in deeply. Exhale fully. Offer yourself sincerity in this touch—asking, What does my heart wish for me to know right now? Allow yourself to be with whatever arises, whether clear or elusive, soft or strong.
Breathe in: I am here. Breathe out: I return to my heart.
Rumi asks, Do you make regular visits to yourself?
As we step further into March, we are invited to move from the heart—resourced by the themes of listening, courage, and compassion. With Pisces season closing, we honor its healing waters, a time for reflection and release. Kapha season persists—earthy, stable, and nurturing—yet it can also weigh us down with fatigue or emotional heaviness. In these moments, our yoga practice, both on and off the mat, becomes a refuge.
The heart is our guidepost through this unfolding. It reminds us that growth is not always linear. Walking past this above blossoming tree, I noticed its small blooms opening downward and so beautifully. Nature and our own growth move in cycles, spirals, and expansions beyond what we can measure, different often than we expect. What if we embraced this, allowing our paths to be just as winding, trusting that every direction holds wisdom?
The Pause & the Heart
“Learning to pause in the midst of your life brings you back to what’s actually happening—to see more clearly what’s going on in you (thoughts, emotions) and around you.” Jack Kornfield
The value of pause is that it can bring us clarity and empathy. From this place, we can see what is most important and respond in a wiser, kinder, and more balanced way. Our pauses free us from the patterns of a vacillating, distracted mind that can deplete our life force, our prana.
The heart reminds us: it cares for itself first, then moves outward to nourish the rest of the body. Anahata—the heart chakra—comes from nahata, meaning boundless or unbroken. It is the bridge of living, loving, and even dying all at once. May we tune inward with empathy, witnessing what plays beneath the surface, surrendering to a place of compassion- an empathetic heart in action. The 4th Chakra represents the color green- vibrant, radiant to bridge for our inner and outer worlds.
Find the pause. The space between moments.
It has been studied widely that a dedicated meditative practice helps train the mind to wander less, bringing us back to the place within us that is more alive, clear, and full of heart. Where is this practice for you?
Compassion- or karuna in sanskrit - is one of the 4 Brahmaviharas– practices that alleviate the heart. It means sensitivity to the suffering of others combined with a desire to alleviate it.
From the heart chakra- from the place in you that is unbroken, kind, and ever-present- one such practice you can come into is a personal favorite. It's ripple can can heal inward, retroactively to our ancestors and forward to our descendants. It can move through past & future. When with intention, sincerity, and time the muscle of our compassion draws on the greenery of Anahata- as the limitless abode that no knows bounds. And it can be extended outward to all of humanity- our human family and all of nature.
Lohka Samasta Sukino Bhavantu: May I, and we, and all beings everywhere be healthy. May we be safe, may we be free from suffering, may we be at ease.
From that ease- may we bring forward the greenery within- on our paths of healing, integration and contribution in the world. Take the pause to return to the present moment, for happiness is well known to come from it. Do the dishes. Have the conversation. Focus on the project. Take the walk or dance to the music. Bring forward from within- trust, homecoming, and heart.
Yoga this Week and What's Ahead!
Compassion practices for the 2nd & 4th chakras, with the power of the pause to balance kapha dosha and respect pisces wisdom. To prime your body, clear your mind, and nourish your heart.
I’ll be taking most of next week off for nourishment, family time, and play. A little reset to reconnect. I look forward to returning refreshed to continue to the practice and projects with you. As you navigate this week and next, may you find moments to root in stillness, expand with courage, and move with a heart wide open.
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"Do not ask what is before you, ask what is within you." thecouragepractice.
Here with you in practice,
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-Maya