We have all heard it said that we must first learn to love ourselves before we can love others. In some ways, this is true, but it is equally important to learn to love others to challenge ourselves, which then helps us be more willing to love and be loved.

The Dalai Lama once said, “Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life.”

We all know difficult people…people that are just hard to care about. They may be in our family, our place of work, our class or a friend that you find yourself shaking your head about often. Though they are difficult to love, they probably need that patience more than others. They may be difficult because they have been hurt before, or they may simply act that way to weed out those who don’t put enough effort in, considering them unworthy of their time. It is amazing what can happen if you are compassionate and able to stick around long enough to break down a wall or two…because you also break your own humanity in a little bit more.

In a yoga practice, there is a similar concept. Learning to love yourself means being OK with everything that you are. The kind things, the awkward things, the things you are best and worst at, the things you are confident about and the things you may not be so confident about. It is letting your past go, not worrying about the future and just staying present in the moment you, embracing all that is YOU. You may attempt a pose and topple over… laugh. You may notice difficult sensations that come up physically and even emotionally … acknowledge them. And if there is pain, have enough compassion for yourself to back off and realize that it might not be for today… and smile.

I recently found a website, randomactsofkindness.org. On this site, you can find tons of ideas for ways you can be kind to others, based on wherever your heart is guiding you to be kind. The site has ideas for kindness through sports and cooking, ideas for families, seniors, friends, colleagues, classmates, waitstaff, and even the environment. Can you imagine how much kinder the world might be if everyone just did one random act of kindness per day? The ripple effect would be amazing. And it would make the givers feel great about themselves, too. Love yourself, but love others so you can love yourself even more. Sounds like a good deal.

The pure light in me honors and respects the same in you. Namaste.

By Jennifer Russo