Trusting the Process…It is in the darkness that one begins to elevate. I am asking myself -How much am I willing to push myself? When I leave my comfort zone that is where all the growth happens. I know if I don’t grab every single opportunity that presents itself to me, no matter what lack of comfort it is going to bring, no matter what I have to leave behind for it, then I will never come to know the darkness (or negativity) that needs to be removed to connect my Heart Space to the Light.

Tap into the importance of helping others we dislike. When we assist others who we like or want to assist, we reveal some Light. Yet when we help those people we don’t care for much, or when it’s truly difficult and not convenient to help, we reveal a tremendous amount of Light. This week, look for situations in which you don’t want to assist others and pounce with every spark of Light you can muster.

If you need support, I am posting Pena Chodron’s compassion practice below or go to my online guided yoga nidra or sound healing sessions.

Compassion Practice

by Pema Chodron

1. Awaken loving-kindness for yourself. “May I enjoy happiness and the root of happiness,” or use your own words.

2. Awaken it for someone for whom you spontaneously feel unequivocal goodwill and tenderness, such as your mother, your child, your spouse, your dog. “May (name) enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.”

3. Awaken loving-kindness for someone slightly more distant, such as a friend or neighbor, again saying their name and aspiring for their happiness, using the same words.

4. Awaken loving-kindness for someone about whom you feel neutral or indifferent, using the same words.

5. Awaken loving-kindness for someone you find difficult or offensive.

6. Let the loving-kindness grow big enough to include all the beings in the five steps above. (This step is called “dissolving the barriers.”) Say, “May I, my beloved, my friend, the neutral person, the difficult person all together enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.”

7. Extend loving-kindness toward all beings throughout the universe. You can start close to home and widen the circle even bigger. “May all beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.”

At the end of the practice, drop the words, drop the wishes, and simply come back to the non-conceptual simplicity of sitting meditation.