“Tolerance and compassion are the qualities of fearless people.” – Paulo Coelho

Compassion. Love. Kindness. This is a pretty standard class theme for me. Not because it is standard and easy, but because it is absolutely crucial for this planet right now. It is vital.

We currently live in a world of fear. When we are living in a fear-based society, everything is lack. Everything is a struggle. Everything is judged. Everything is disconnected. When we are afraid, we pull away from life.

But, there is a cure: Love.

Love is the opposite of fear. Love is abundance. Love is acceptance. Love is connection and community. Love encourages life and living in every moment.

When more of us choose to see things in love, rather than fear, we spread light. It is contagious and it can only grow as we continue to use our compassion to touch others. I believe, by simply choosing love, we can make miraculous changes to our community.

In yoga, we practice opening the heart through poses that expand the chest. Chest opening poses are great for creating space and freedom in the body. As we expand the sternum, rib cage, and upper body throughout the poses, we promote healthy posture and better circulation of blood, oxygen, and energy.

Additionally, we can sometimes store fear based emotions (anything opposite of love) in our heart chakra, one of the major energy centers in the body located in the center of the chest. As this energy center is a representation of our connection to love, when it is closed off we can feel angry, sad, lonely, bitter, etc. Through opening the chest and expanding the heart chakra, we can seek to release the fear and invite in love.

Let’s grab our mats and focus on some love-based thoughts!

PS – This video is super goofy because it is windy and… you’ll see! 😛

Thanks for watching and I hope you are feeling a bit more compassionate and loving today!

Taryn