Breaking Open: A Tribute to Joanna Macy, Part 2

The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.

- Joanna Macy

In yoga, we’re often encouraged to bring all parts of ourselves to our practice—our strength and vulnerability, our joy and sorrow. But what happens when the world's pain feels too heavy to carry? What do we do with the heartbreak we feel for the suffering we see around us?

Joanna Macy—Buddhist eco-philosopher, activist, and root teacher of the Work That Reconnects—revolutionized my understanding of what it means to show up authentically in yoga. Now nearing the end of her life, her extraordinary body of work continues to illuminate the path forward.

Like many of us, I'd spent years cultivating the ability to return to a calm, steady center amidst life's storms. Through yoga and meditation, I learned to witness difficult emotions with healthy detachment—an invaluable skill that has supported me time and again.

But in 2022, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade—the U.S. Supreme Court decision that guaranteed a woman’s right to abortion—I was overcome with despair. Simply retreating inward to find equanimity felt incomplete.

I sensed that the anger, sorrow, and grief I felt were warranted, important, and noble. They reflected my capacity to care and feel compassion.

This tension between spiritual detachment and authentic feeling is one many yoga practitioners face. We're often taught that yoga means rising above our emotions, transcending suffering, and seeking peace above the fray.

But what if our pain for the world isn’t something to transcend, but something to honor?

Soon after, a friend introduced me to Joanna’s book Active Hope and the Work That Reconnects. One of her most revolutionary insights is that our pain for the world isn't a burden to overcome—it's evidence of our interconnectedness and can be a doorway to deeper compassion and a motivation for meaningful action.

She has said, “Our pain for the world is not a pathology but a vital signal, a form of caring that is the other face of love.”

In yoga philosophy, we learn about the concept of ahimsa (non-harming) and the truth of our fundamental interconnectedness. Joanna helped me understand how these principles apply not only to our choices, but also to our emotional lives.

Just as your whole system responds with healing energy when one part of your body is injured, we too - like nerve cells in the larger body of Earth – feel the suffering of the whole.

This reframed everything for me. It affirmed that my despair wasn’t separate from my yoga practice—it was an expression of it.

How does it feel to consider that the pain you feel for the suffering our world is sacred, not something to suppress or escape?

In a yoga culture that can sometimes feel disconnected from the crises unfolding around us, Joanna's teachings offered a bridge between ancient wisdom and 21st century life. They gave me permission to bring my whole self – especially the broken-hearted parts – to the mat.

The next time you feel your heart break—for a person, a place, or the world—pause. Notice where it lives in your body. Breathe into that space. Let it be part of your practice, not something to fix or push away.

Thank you, Joanna, for showing us that our heartbreak for the world isn't a distraction from the spiritual path—it's an integral part of it. The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe, and you have taught me - and countless others - how to make that heartbreak a source of compassion, resilience, and strength.