4 Ways to Practice Loving Kindness
Maya Angelou says, “The human heart...tells us that we are more alike than we are unalike.” WE ARE ONE! It is so easy to forget and indulge in this idea that we’re separate. It is so easy to draw lines around ourselves of what we think is “right” or “wrong”. It’s so easy to blame. It’s so easy to be mean. It’s so easy to cut people off. All we have to do is humans is to simply say, “No.” But that kind of life is so boring, don’t you think? What I’m interested in is how can we as humans, say, “Yes,” even more. How can we as loving, compassionate, empathic individuals stay open, extend our hearts and love, love love and love even more. How can we see the Oneness of all Creation? How can we stay receptive to the people that erk us the most and find that place inside ourselves that understands and can forgive? How can we stay malleable in the situations in life where we immediately want to react and maybe even shut down? Here are some ways that may help in your practice of loving kindness.1. YES.
Practice saying yes. If you’re normally a no person, you have these rules and regulations of why this is bad and why you think that is weird, blah blah blah. There are many rules with the no person. Try saying yes. Do something you normally wouldn’t do. When you practice saying yes to the things you would normally say no to, your definition of normal begins to change. You’ll learn the practice of real discernment of what’s good and what’s not good for you- vs. making an assumption out of fear and immediately responding with a no. SAY YES! It’s the best thing you can do for yourself to even learn how to say no. So now you’re getting two great lessons out of one singular practice. Amazing how that works.
2. Get a tattoo.
Now this is not recommended for everyone, obviously. Nothing of what I write is meant for everyone. It’s meant for you if it speaks to you. If it’s not, then discard. Easy as that. Seeing from the responses I’ve received from previous articles, I guess these days that whole “taking things way too personally” phenomenon is still happening. Tattoos are great because they serve as a reminder. The essence of the reminder stays the same, but the meaning and relationship between the reminder evolves and shapes itself into more dimensions as you grow and evolve. Every tattoo has a story, from the very surface to inner most depth. It will for sure remind you if it’s on your body and since we’re all human, we’re going to be living in these vehicles for hopefully, somewhere around 100 years or so. Tattoos serve as a physical and tangible reminder as well as a beautiful piece of art placed on the body.
3. Put yourself in the shoes of others.
This means, imagine and visualize physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically what it is like to be in another person’s body, in whatever situation they may be in. When you take yourself out of your own framework and place yourself in another, you will see out of a different lens. The model of the camera might be different and it may even be black and white or maybe the resolution of pixels will be 1,000x more advanced. None of that stuff really matters, what matters is, you will be able to understand the situation from a wider vantage point. When we as humans understand and can grasp something, we have more compassion and softness. Try to understand why the person is the way they are or why the situation is what it is and navigate accordingly.
4. Make everything you do stem from the seed of love.
Plant love in your heart and allow for every thought, feeling and action spring forth through this pure and open space. When love is the intention, miracles happen. When fear is the intention, life contracts. Maya Angelou says “Love life. Engage in it. Give it all you've got. Love it with a passion because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.” Untangle all your actions on the route and back to the root of love. Speak to others how you’d like to be spoken to. See every human you encounter as a reflection of yourself. Love yourself first, then you’ll be able to love others more. Practice being nice; it’s as simple as that. Sprinkle a little more love onto everything you do.
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About the Author
Chloe Park is an Artist, Holistic Healing Practitioner, CranioSacral Therapist, Spiritual Counselor, Life Mentor, Yoga and Meditation Instructor. Currently based in Los Angeles, CA, she has put her gypsy boots up to dry after living overseas in New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Mexico and Hawai'i. She travels the Earth to share her message: unconditional love, self-healing and awakening. She uses the medium of writing, holistic healing, craniosacral therapy, yoga and meditation to help all those along the Path to find harmony with mind, body and spirit. Receiving the blessings from Baba Ram Dass, Ammachi and Dr. Paul Muller Ortega she is devoted to facilitating the space for Healing, Love and Truth. Her intention with her writing is to offer Q&A for all those who are engaged in the dialogue. Chloe also writes for Elephant Journal, Yahoo Shine! and Organic Soul. To stay connected with her current projects, retreats, teachings and traveling schedule, find her on Facebook or visit her website . Sessions with Chloe are also available via Skype. May we all wake up together.
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