Compassion isn’t a trait, it’s a skill

I presented to forty-three people in the adult Sunday school of Church of the Servant. Based on the work of Frank Rogers, I guided the group through the Compassion Practice, a five-step exercise in learning to respond to difficult moments in life from a place of grounded care. Compassion can flow in many directions if we allow it: to ourselves, others, and even the more-than-human world.

We spent our time this way. I shared  personal stories and an application of the Compassion Practice in my own life. I gave the participants time to read through the handout. Then, I guided them through the meditative flow to practice accessing compassion for themselves.

Here are the steps in the PULSE Compassion Practice that help individuals take their own spiritual pulse and connect to the pulse of the Divine heart.

• Pay attention

• Understand with empathy

• Love with connection

• Sense the Sacred

• Embody new life