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Elevate Your Well-Being With Random Acts of Kindness

Jaclyn Baker
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By: Jen Champion

Random acts of kindness are spontaneous expressions of care and compassion that profoundly impact the giver and the receiver. These acts can range from small gestures, like holding the door open for someone, to more significant acts of service, such as volunteering in a soup kitchen. Regardless of the size of the act, research shows that random acts of kindness can have several positive benefits for our health and well-being. 

How have you expressed and received kindness?

Our actions go beyond improving mood. They contribute to overall well-being. The science of kindness informs us there are neurological benefits when we are on the giving and receiving sides. Just thinking about being kind, our body receives signals like we are in the act of it. Positive thoughts associated with expressing kindness release serotonin, the feel-good hormone, and oxytocin the love hormone. These hormones enhance our comfort, safety, and joy and support our minds, emotions, bodies, and spirits.

Kindness also provides emotional support and can help us relieve stress. We can build resilience to stressful conditions. When relaxed, we have space to explore and secure personal, authentic happiness, which grows towards graciously offering kindness to others. There are many techniques and resources for cultivating and replenishing individual reservoirs of vitality. You will find a few listed at the end of this article. In addition to personal benefits, acts of kindness significantly impact our social connections—acts of kindness foster social, familial, community, and workplace relationships. Experiencing and sharing kindness strengthens areas of human commonality and potential. We support each other with acts of kindness when we inspire, share, and try new things. In our shared existence, strength and happiness weave unity and community.

Kindness is an integral exploration in my life and yoga practice. I like to blend movements, meditations, and philosophies to encourage insight into the self as a human and divine source of kindness. I offer these opportunities in my classes with the intention that we will carry ourselves with peace and joy, on and off the yoga mat.

The Yoga Sutras is an ancient text describing the path to a fulfilling and happy life. In the Secret of the Yoga Sutra, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait translates Sutra 1:33: Transparency of mind comes by embracing an attitude of friendliness, compassion, happiness, and non-judgment toward those who are happy, miserable, virtuous, and non-virtuous.

The purpose of cultivating the four positive attitudes (friendliness, compassion, happiness, and non-judgment) is to instill higher virtues in our minds. These virtues allow our mind to reclaim its natural, pristine, joyful state. 

Random acts of kindness are simple and powerful ways to positively persuade our world. By performing acts of kindness, we improve our health and well-being, strengthen social connections, foster compassionate and caring communities, and have more fun! Consider your time and dedication to actively contributing to the collective benefit of kindness. Learn what it is and how to become a Raktivist. Random Acts of Kindness 2024 is a worldwide celebration held during the week of February 11-17. Join me at the Vista Wellness Center on February 15 at 11:15 am. I will spread kindness and share yoga tips around our neighborhood, 15th and Pearl. Hope to see you there!

Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

TED Talk: How Acts of Kindness Sparked a Global Movement

Practice Random Acts of Kindness

Guided Meditation: Embodied Metta with Tara Brach

 

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Small Acts – Big Impact

Jaclyn Baker
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Have you ever done something nice for someone else “just because”? It wasn’t to repay them or because you had to, it was simply because you wanted to. 

Well, then, you’ve done a random act of kindness. They are those unexpected, selfless deeds that bring joy and positivity to others without expecting anything in return. 

Kindness is like a universal language, and it’s one of the most valued character strengths in our society. You are naturally drawn to kind-hearted people, and as it turns out, being kind not only brightens someone else’s day but also enhances your well-being. 

From selfless gestures to acts of generosity, get ready to be inspired to sprinkle more kindness into your life as you uncover the secrets to making the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time. 

Practice the Attitude of Gratitude 

In a fast-paced world, pausing to show gratitude reminds people of the beauty in their connections. It’s a way of saying, ‘You matter, and I appreciate you just as you are.’ 

It isn’t just a feeling; it’s a powerful force that deepens connections and spreads positivity. So, go ahead and send that heartfelt message, make that call, or write that note of thanks.

Be Respectful and Celebrate Goodness

Being respectful is all about treating every person you meet with kindness and respect, no matter who they are or where they come from. It’s a reminder that we’re all part of the same human family. 

And don’t stop there. Acknowledge and celebrate the positive actions of others – from a heartfelt “thank you” to a simple nod of appreciation, these gestures can brighten someone’s day and inspire more acts of kindness.  

Gift Your Time

You can make a positive change in someone’s life by simply offering your time.

Whether lending an empathetic ear to a friend in need or dedicating hours to volunteer at a local charity your time can be just what they need! 

So make the world a brighter, kinder place – one shared second at a time.

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Random Acts of Kindness Day

Jaclyn Baker
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February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day.

This day is all about taking the time to show others that you care. Not just to the people that you know – but strangers too.  There are no limits to the amount of kindness we can show others. 

To celebrate, you can find ways to incorporate meditation into your day. 

Yoga instructor Amalia offers a guided practice to follow. 

In the Buddhist tradition, there is a teaching about the god Brahma, who had four faces, one for each of the four kinds of unselfish love. 

In the language of the Buddha, these are called Karuna (compassion), Upeksa (equanimity), Mudita (appreciative joy), and Metta, or Maitri (loving-kindness). 

Because the god Brahma is said to dwell (vihara) in these four forms of love, they are known as the Brahmaviharas– or the divine abodes of the heart. 

Abiding by these divine abodes of the heart every day may sometimes feel challenging, especially when you are exhausted or overwhelmed. 

But it is not impossible to do. You can begin by offering loving-kindness to yourself during meditation. 

Sit in a comfortable place and take two or three deep breaths with slow, complete exhales. Do your best to let go of concerns or preoccupations momentarily. 

For a few minutes feel, or imagine your breath moving through the center of your chest- in the area of your heart.

When you’re ready, mentally repeat slowly and steadily, the following, or similar phrases:

“May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.”

When you say these phrases, allow yourself to sink into the intentions they express. 

Loving kindness meditation consists primarily of connecting to the intention of wishing ourselves or others happiness.

Many of us have not been taught how to love ourselves. The culture we live in with its many systems of oppression, our families, and our life circumstances can all make this even more challenging to truly embody. Know that loving ourselves (and others) takes practice.

If feelings of warmth, friendliness, or love do arise in the body, connect to them, allowing them to grow as you repeat the phrases. 

After a period of time (minutes, days, weeks, months, years) of directing loving-kindness toward yourself, bring to mind a friend or someone in your life who has deeply cared for you. Then slowly repeat the phrases of loving-kindness toward them:

“May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.”

As you say these phrases again, sink into their heartfelt meaning, and if any feelings of loving-kindness arise, connect the feelings with the phrases so that the feelings may become stronger as you repeat the words.

Over time, you can bring to mind other friends, neighbors, acquaintances, strangers, and finally, people with whom you have difficulty.  You can either use the same phrases, repeating them again and again or make up your own that better represent the loving-kindness you feel toward these beings. 

We all have opportunities to practice kindness, and it doesn’t require ideal circumstances or lots of resources.

The more we give love, the greater our capacity for loving. This is how, even through small actions, loving-kindness can become limitless. 

Here are some ways you can start spreading kindness in your community. 

  • Send a text message, email, or snail mail, just to let someone know you are thinking of them. 
  • Add canned or packaged goods to a neighborhood food pantry, or donate a book to a little free library. If you have the resources, consider starting one of your own! 
  • Paint rocks with fun doodles or positive messages and leave them along sidewalks in your neighborhood. 
  • Deliver a home-cooked meal or order takeout for someone. 
  • Assemble and donate first aid supplies.

Eugene/ Springfield Specific:

Black Thistle Street Aid is a collective of outreach workers, herbalists & medical practitioners providing access to free healthcare through pop-up clinics and medical outreach to people experiencing homelessness in the Eugene-Springfield area. Find a list of items needed here 

Visit the Acorn Community Cafe. A new vegan cafe, coffee shop and food resource on Monroe Street in Eugene, Oregon. Its mission is to combat hunger and build a resilient community. Cafe sales and community donations allow them to fund their daily free meals and expand into offering an employment program for unhoused or at-risk youth”. 

Kindness is impactful and can inspire someone else to pay it forward. 

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop.

By: Amalia Trieger

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World Kindness Day – November 13th

Jaclyn Baker
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November 13th is World Kindness Day! 

This international holiday was created to highlight and encourage good deeds in your community and to remind us that simple acts of kindness have great power.  Let your friends, family, and even strangers know that you appreciate them.  Saying thank you for an act of kindness can improve someone’s day. This day was created to help you realize that you can make a difference, one act at a time.

Here are some ideas for acts of kindness that you can try from inspirekindness.com.

  • Smile when you walk by others
  • Write positive messages on post-it notes and leave them for people to find
  • Call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while 
  • Pick up trash you see on the ground outside and throw it in a garbage can
  • Hold the door open for someone
  • Chat with a stranger and ask them about their day
  • Pay for a stranger’s coffee or meal
  • Compliment someone
  • Send a positive or encouraging text to five people in your contacts
  • Surprise someone with flowers
  • Tell a family member or friend you love them
  • Write a note on the receipt at a restaurant for your server 
  • Offer to help with someone’s errands
  • Give a surprise gift to someone you care about
  • Send a kind card or note to a friend
  • Surprise co-workers with home-baked cookies or treats
  • Plant a tree
  • Spend less time on your phone and more time with people you care about
  • Organize a workplace giving campaign
  • Offer a classmate help with homework
  • Talk to someone new
  • Practice gratitude
  • Volunteer
  • Give someone a hug

 A small act of kindness can go a long way. 

For more information and ideas, check out these websites:

https://nationaltoday.com/world-kindness-day/

https://inspirekindness.com/world-kindness-day