Kinder Than Necessary

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone is fighting some type of battle."

According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), we are to practice letting emotions that have managed to move into us, to also move out. Then, to replace the emotion with its counter virtue. 

Lets use the current season - here in the Northern Hemisphere - of autumn. The fall season is placed in the element of metal. The emotions that connect to metal are grief, sorrow and sadness. The virtue is compassion. Think to a moment where you had these emotions run through you...what was the one thing you needed most? Compassion. 

A compassionate friend, ear or shoulder. In TCM, the metal element asks us to first start with compassion for self. Compassion when we are hurting or sorrowful. In this way, when we see another person in the space of sorrow, we know how to help them. Of course there is one fine tuned point of compassion. Compassion is giving something to someone that they need, not necessarily what they want - to give a clean truthful reflection (also metal).

The alchemy of turning emotions to virtue is a transformation benefit that a qigong practice can have on your life. Start breathing out the old emotion, and in the lighter virtue within