Practicing Compassion

Imagine making the shape of a valentine heart with your hands and holding it up to your face. That’s the posture of seeing with compassion. You might picture yourself looking through the heart at a person you struggle to forgive, remembering that they are beloved. Or you could imagine yourself being looked at in a similar way.

When I teach on the way of compassion, I often invite people to pair up, make the shape of a heart with their hands, and stare into each other’s eyes. We don’t often look at each other so intently. People chuckle uncomfortably.

After the giggling subsides,…