20 MANTRAMAGAZINE.COM
We all come into life with different gifts.
Empathy is a gift. If it’s ignored, it will be
a burden and a curse. An empath feels
things—like other people’s pain and
emotions. It’s actually a great tool, unless
you’re an unskilled empath... then
the amount of feelings can be totally
overwhelming.Empathic Skills
When empathing, I open my shields and
feel into someone’s body. I feel where there
is sadness or congestion. That’s where I place
my hands. I coach the person to focus from
inside. We meet and work together on the
issue. As a teacher, I’m more effective using
my empathing skills. Students become wiser
kinesthetically, learning how to interpret and
make use of the feeling signals from inside.The beauty of developing your empathing
skill is feeling the people you care about.
Your communications and your loving touch
become much more profound. You feel the
effects of your actions! Learning these skills
builds your compassion for others. Amazing
intimacy is also one of the gifts you earn.Some Signs of an Empath
- You need time to be alone.
- You need big chunks of silence.
- You need time to feel you, instead of
feeling everybody else. - Everybody else’s needs are more
important than yours. - You’re an addict.
- You sense what people are going to say
and do before they do it.
Advice for Empaths
» Be brave enough to feel:Another sign of an empath
is addiction. Underneath the
numbness and lousy coping
mechanisms of addiction,
there is a gift of unimaginable
richness. Build courage to
go through your numbness,
develop your empath skills
and earn your gift.» Feel you:A great place to get firmly
rooted in knowing yourself
intimately is in Forrest Yoga.
It’s all about feeling inside
yourself. The practice has an
organic process of learning
to feel and savor the subtle
depths and textures of your
inner wilderness. As you get
seasoned as an empath, you
learn to live with this higher
quality of sensory input. Feel
that huge amount of gorgeous
energy!» Create clear boundaries:Empaths, one of your
downsides is being a Sacrificial
Whore, i.e., you give till you
collapse. Our culture and
religions have taught us that
this is virtuous. It isn’t! You’re
training everyone around
you to become parasites.
That’s disgusting. Whether
it’s your children, husband,
wife or colleague, you’re
teaching them to feed off your
vital energy, throwing you
further into depletion. Thus,
you’re creating an incredibly
sickening situation in yourself
and in everyone that interacts
with you. Instead, create whole
circles in your relationships,
not dead ends and sickness.
Saying “No!” will help.» Learn how to nourish
yourself:Give from the excess of being
fulfilled, instead of energy
deficit. When you give from
deficit, it’s tainted. You’re
being irresponsible—not
caring enough for yourself, not
cherishing yourself enough
to feed your Spirit, your cell
tissue, your inquiring mind,
and your emotions. It’s such
sweetness to give, but if you
don’t learn how to take, you
are out of balance. Stop being
a Sacrificial Whore and retrain
your generous Spirit. Learn
how to work in balance. Focus
your generous heart onto
your needs. Bring healing to
yourself as part of your daily
practice. Then, what you give
will be delicious and much
more profound.Are You
an Empath?
Why Some of Us Need More Alone
Time Than Others
Ana Forrest
Medicine Woman, Creatrix of Forrest Yoga and
Author of Fierce Medicine
forrestyoga.com20 MANTRAMAGAZINE.COM