Compassion: March 2025 Theme of the Month
Here in Wisconsin, we’ve had a few glimpses of Spring these past few weeks. Every time the weather hits above 40°F; or I notice rain on my windshield; or hear the birds chirping in the morning, I get a little flutter in my chest - warmer days are on their way! While I have to be just a little bit more patient for full-on Spring weather, I’m starting to notice the seasonal shift in other ways, too: my calendar is filling up, I’m craving different foods, I have to clean muddy dog paws more often…
With these shifts, I sometimes notice myself feeling frustrated with my busier schedule, changing my cooking routines, and taking extra time for my doggos. Even though these are experiences I generally enjoy, my mind gets a bit jumbled when I’m making these habit changes, regardless of how inconsequential they are in the grand scheme of things. Instead of hooking into my frustrations, I’ve been trying to practice more Compassion towards myself and other beings.
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As we shift into Spring, this is the perfect time to lean into Karuna (Compassion). Spring is the season governed by Kapha Dosha, one of the primary energies in Ayurveda; and Compassion is an emotion of Kapha Dosha when in balance. When we move into a new season, we often see the imbalanced qualities of the primary Dosha: in Kapha season (Spring), we may notice congestion, slow digestion, and weight gain in the physical body; or apathy, attachment, and brain fog in the mind.
(If you’re thinking, what is this Ayurveda and Dosha talk?! Stay tuned: I’ve got a couple blog posts in the works for all you curious minds out there.)
Compassion is a way to balance the attachment to old routines, and balance the apathy and frustration towards making changes. I have an inkling that I’m not the only one feeling these things; so, I hope you’ll join me in cultivating Compassion this month.
There are so many ways to practice Compassion, both on the yoga mat and off the mat. Here are a few ways Moonflower is encouraging the practice of Compassion this month.
Practicing Ahimsa (non-harming) towards self and others
Ahimsa is the Yama (Ethical practice) of non-violence in thought, word, and action. Practicing Ahimsa means cultivating love and empathy instead of anger, judgment, or harm. Compassion is an essential quality that allows us to practice Ahimsa fully. True non-violence goes beyond avoiding harm—it includes active compassion, kindness, and understanding toward all beings. This month, how can you be kinder and more patient with yourself? Maybe when you come to your yoga mat, you set the following intention: “I move with kindness towards myself.” Off the mat, how can you be kinder and more patient with others?
Practicing Anahata (heart chakra) opening asanas (yoga poses)
It’s no coincidence that Kapha Dosha also governs the upper third of the physical body, where the Anahata (heart chakra) resides. To reduce stagnation and invigorate the heart center, we’ll include heart opening asanas (poses) while we’re on the mat this month. Some examples of these asanas are Supta Matsyendrasana (Supported Fish Pose, or Lung Bench in Yin yoga); Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose); Dhanurasana (Bow Pose); Ustrasana (Camel Pose) - if you’re picking up what I’m putting down, we’ll be playing with backbends this month! If you’re not a backbend-y person, not to worry - we’ll offer variations for every body. Remember, backbends aren’t about the depth of the bend - they are about opening the heart.
Practicing Seva (selfless service)
This month, Moonflower introduced Spring Renewal: Free Yoga Class for new students. This is a beautiful opportunity to invite our community to experience a yoga class at Moonflower - maybe you have a friend you’d like to bring to class. Moonflower is also taking time this month to find ways to bring more yoga to the community and looking into local charities we can partner with or support. If you have ideas or are connected with a local charity that may be interested in working with Moonflower, please reach out! Maybe there is a way you can personally practice Seva (selfless service) this month by cooking a meal for a loved one experiencing hardship, or lending a hand at a local charity.
Practicing Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness Meditation)
Last but not least, we can use meditation practices to cultivate compassion for the self and for others. Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness) is a Buddhist meditation practice using mantras to send love to the self, and then to others. The mantras I tend to use in this meditation are: “May you be happy; May you be peaceful; May you feel safe; May you know love.” Over the course of March, you might begin or end a class with these mantras or the full guided meditation at Moonflower. Off the mat, when you find yourself becoming frustrated, maybe you can repeat this mantra silently to yourself, or silently towards someone who is causing you frustration (like an annoying coworker or someone driving terribly, just as examples…) to add compassion into the world - because our world truly needs more compassion.
In loving kindness,
Katie