Namaste Yoga 99 Yoga of Emotions Compassion with Dr. Melissa West

For show notes click on the link above Yoga with Melissa 99 is on compassion. This is the second in our series of hatha yoga classes on emotions. Our focus is on karuna – compassion. “True compassion is a communication of truth in loving kindness.” Peter Marchand, The Yoga of Nine Emotions. In this episode we will navigate the emotion of sadness to find the true compassion that recognizes that the suffering of others is also our own. We will begin our practice with Loving Kindness Meditation and a mudra to open our hearts. Those with the kapha dosha ayurvedic constitution are more prone to sadness and thus we will engage in a practice to bring fire and lightness to the heavy watery and earthy quality of kapha. After our metta meditation we stay in our seated easy pose for some twists and heart openers followed by a mudra to open your heart to compassion. We then do some variations on gate pose to lengthen your spine and open your hips, followed by pigeon pose. From standing we do some sun salutations. We also practice peaceful warrior and breath of joy. Our hatha yoga class finishes with reclined bound angle pose to open your hips and your heart.