Compassion fatigue is real. Teaching has come with a serious emotional toll over the past couple of years. I’ve lost many students and others have lost family members or partners. Not too long ago, I was seriously wondering how long I could continue to do this work. But…my students constantly remind me that what we experience in our time together is valuable and that my place in their lives is important.

Friday’s class was a beautiful example of this. Usually after 20 or 30 minutes into practice I ask everyone to check in and notice subtle changes in their body, energy, and breathing. A student who has heart failure and practices in a motorized wheelchair answered by saying that she felt “stronger.” Another student who lost her son to gun violence and is often very anxious said she felt “calm.” And another student who has just been diagnosed with a life altering disease, said she felt “safe.” My eyes welled up. I’m not sure if anyone caught that or not, but it was a beautifully human moment and one I desperately needed to feel.