All of us have to deal with the ups and downs, the pleasures and pains, the weeds and the flowers of life. Can you think of anyone in history who made it through life unscathed? Pain and suffering seem to be a part of the process we all go through, but they are not the ONLY part. There is also much joy and pleasure and happiness in life too—and often the pain helps us to appreciate the good things even more. But because life appears kind of chaotic, it can seem like a jungle to the casual observer—and indeed, when chaos leads to fear and pain and suffering, we may imagine that the creatures of the jungle are out to get us.

But what we must remember is that within every jungle, there is a garden—a place of love and compassion where we can heal our wounds and ease our pain. Compassion is a “kind friend” and a friendly presence that allows us to stay in contact with the pain we feel from time to time by simply doing life. By taking action with compassion, we can surrender into our pain—pain that we either caused or was handed to us—so that we can stay in this and learn…instead of hiding, denying or excusing. Self-compassion requires a willingness to actually sit with the discomfort of our pain and in this place allow for true meaningful self-love to flourish and support us as we journey through our daily lives.

Our “garden in the jungle” is the Compassion that allows us to heal! Using compassion as a tool to counter our felt pain cultivates a deeper fertile life soil that tends to our whole selves in the context of our lives!

Watch the video and connect with the following:

• Learn how to tend to your heart and its real and perceived pain by staying focused on the gifts that exist beyond it;
• Bring compassion into your essence in order to tenderly include all of you in the present moment;
• Do the inner work of understanding and using compassion as an action-focused energy to support your growth and self-expression;
• Open your heart and awaken your soul so you grow and expand your capabilities for full living.