Compassion

Hi! I’m a Registered Dietitian and Certified Yoga Teacher with a Masters Degree in Science. My goal is to help people stay nourished and calm. In this post I explore the neurobiology of compassion and why a compassion meditation might be something worth trying!

Please note the content in this post is for general information purpose only and is not intended to be used as personal health care advice. Opinion and research shared in this post should be interpreted cautiously. For questions or concerns regarding how you could apply this information to your personal health, please discuss it with your primary health care provider and/or a licensed mental health care provider.

First of all, What is compassion?

Psychology Today notes that “scientists define compassion as a sensitivity to the suffering of another, coupled with a desire to alleviate their suffering”. The Yoga Journal noted “compassion goes beyond sending ‘positive thoughts’ or ‘good vibes’—cultivating it is an inside job. Having compassion for others starts with having compassion for ourselves.”

It seems there are two types of compassion. One directed towards yourself and the other towards everyone else. In my experience it seems that certain people, notably those who find themselves in helping or caregiver roles, tend to show immense compassion towards others while often neglecting to provide themselves with adequate self-compassion. In fact, I’m not alone in this thinking. Known as compassion fatigue, a person can become stressed as a result of being exposed to traumatized people. If this happens on a continuous basis, they can begin to feel burnt out and even develop secondary trauma (1).

As a hospital worker for over a decade I have first hand experience with compassion fatigue. To help me cope, I found the ancient practice of yoga to be beneficial. Chronic exposure to sick, severely traumatized and/or terminally ill people is a lot on a caregiver’s spirit. Before I took formal yoga teacher training, I didn’t know why yoga was so paramount to my ability to keep a smile on my face and hold space for those in need of it. I just knew yoga worked.

why did yoga work?

the Neuroscience of compassion

Research shows that cultivating compassion is associated with increased parasympathetic response (2). In other words, the parasympathetic nervous system can be “turned on” when we practice compassion. This results in the ability to feel calm and less stressed. Interestingly, functional magnetic resonance used to create imaging of neural markers found negative emotions are down-regulated during attempts to be compassionate (3). Compassion has also been associated with brain activity in the ventral striatum, the (subgenual) anterior cingulate cortex, and the orbitofrontal cortex. These areas are related to strong positive emotions like romantic and maternal love(4).

YOGA, SCIENCE AND COMPASSION

Compassion is an integral part of yoga. There is a specific mediation studied by science that can be used in yoga known as the compassion (or karuna) meditation . In this meditation you learn to cultivate compassion towards others. You also learn to cultivate compassion towards yourself. Interestingly, when this meditation was studied it was found that secretion of cortisol (a measurement of stress) was reduced by up to 51% in participants who practiced it(5).

Another study found that practicing yoga along with compassion meditation three times a week for eight weeks improved quality of life, attention, and self-compassion. (6) Also, as noted above, cultivating compassion can promote a strong parasympathetic function. This is important for health for many reasons, such as secretion of digestive enzymes for proper digestive function. As a Registered Dietitian I’ve seen a lot of burnt out caregivers struggling with digestive issues that seem to resolve when we first focus on finding ways for them to practice self-care as opposed to jumping right into following an overly restrictive diet.

try my Peaceful Bite!

While I invite anyone reading this to come practice compassionate yoga with me, I know that not everyone has the time or ability to make it to one of my in-person classes. Therefore, I’ve decided to create peaceful bites for my readers.

In this peaceful bite, I use the compassion meditation as inspiration to create harmony within the mind, body and world around us. Consider trying it out. Perhaps you might find it to be beneficial to your life.

Curious to learn more about yoga?

PRACTICE WITH ME!

I’ll soon be offering classes in Sturbridge Massachusetts at Historic Yoga which will be opening summer 2023! I invite you to come join!

May you be happy. May you be well. May you find peace.

Jennifer Carlson, MS RDN CYT

A sincere thank you to the individuals below who dedicate their time to creating this resarch:

1)Cocker F, Joss N. Compassion Fatigue among Healthcare, Emergency and Community Service Workers: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016 Jun 22;13(6):618. doi: 10.3390/ijerph13060618. PMID: 27338436; PMCID: PMC4924075.

2)Kim JJ, Parker SL, Doty JR, Cunnington R, Gilbert P, Kirby JN. Neurophysiological and behavioural markers of compassion. Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 22;10(1):6789. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63846-3. PMID: 32322008; PMCID: PMC7176659.

3)Poli A, Gemignani A, Woodruff CC. Editorial: Self-compassion: From Neuroscience to Clinical Setting. Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 25;13:963738. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.963738. PMID: 35959045; PMCID: PMC9358683.

4) Förster K, Kanske P. Upregulating positive affect through compassion: Psychological and physiological evidence. Int J Psychophysiol. 2022 Jun;176:100-107. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.03.009. Epub 2022 Mar 28. PMID: 35358613.

5)Engert V, Kok BE, Papassotiriou I, Chrousos GP, Singer T. Specific reduction in cortisol stress reactivity after social but not attention-based mental training. Sci Adv. 2017 Oct 4;3(10):e1700495. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1700495. PMID: 28983508; PMCID: PMC5627978.

6) Danucalov MA, Kozasa EH, Afonso RF, Galduroz JC, Leite JR. Yoga and compassion meditation program improve quality of life and self-compassion in family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients: A randomized controlled trial. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2017 Jan;17(1):85-91. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12675. Epub 2015 Dec 21. PMID: 26685923.