When we find compassion for our own failings, flaws and vulnerabilities the amazing thing is that it translates in to an ability to find forgiveness and tolerance for others. Without self-compassion, our hearts are rigid and blocked from the inside, and this will manifest outwardly in the end.

I was FEELING REALLY UPSET for a new class member who said to me that she felt bad for “not being good enough” for my Pilates class. It turns out that a teacher in the past told her that she was “putting her off” as she wasn’t good enough. NOOOO! A comment like that is going to stick in someone’s heart, mind and soul for a very very long time, if not forever. What an awful thing to say to someone in a class - someone who’s shown up and is trying their best.

Ahimsa is the first guideline in yoga philosophy - non-harming. And this means first and foremost to do no harm to ourself - in other words, in order to serve the world well, we have to love ourself first. It means going to the deepest most raw and painful places inside us, so that we can heal and build self belief.