Something I notice as I continue to surround myself by the yoga community is an unwavering presence of compassion. A few days ago I got coffee with another yoga instructor, and I asked him about his experiences this summer while working at a yoga studio and farm in Hawaii. He said, “I’m sure you had a similar experience in Colorado; everyone was so nice and compassionate.” While it’s not as if everyone who practices yoga is nice and compassionate all the time, I do feel as though it is a common theme.

The Yoga Sutras, a text outlining traditional yoga philosophies, mentions karuna, a quality that roughly translates to compassion. I often associate compassion with empathy, but I think compassion takes empathy one step further. It is not only the ability to understand the nature of suffering, but it is also the desire to alleviate suffering.

I believe one of the most important things I can do as a yoga instructor (and human being) is to embody compassion. Everyone enters a yoga studio with a different purpose and expectation. Yet, there is a universal desire for a supportive, kind and welcoming community. Compassion is an essential aspect of yoga’s foundation, as stated centuries ago in the Yoga Sutras, so it’s no wonder that regardless of where you are (Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia) you can find a compassionate community through yoga.