When You Judge Others, You’re Actually Judging Yourself

We tend to judge others to make ourselves feel better about our current state or current situation, when really those judgements are insecurities in ourselves.
 
Yoga is a practice to help us dive into our minds and examine what really goes on. The practice teaches us awareness of not only our bodies, but our thoughts and actions as well. Do you notice when you pass judgment on others? Judging others is a very common thing, and we’ve all done it, but becoming aware of when you tend to pass judgement is a great step toward enlightenment.
 
We tend to notice things in other people because we have either been in similar situations, or we are insecure about certain qualities they have that we recognize in ourselves. These situations are our mirrors. Everyone we meet is a reflection of ourselves. This is the meaning of the Mirror System. Once we become aware of our judgmental patterns, we begin to realize where our judgment is coming from. Through this realization, we can break the pattern and move beyond it with the understanding that every person, every situation, every experience is simply a mirror of our own inner being.
 
Think of the concept we are all taught as children. When you point a finger at someone, there are three more fingers pointing back at you. Humans are here to learn something from each other. Every relationship you have with someone – good or bad – is meant to show you something about yourself, whether it is motivational, spiritual or maybe something that shows you how you don’t want to be. Seeing yourself in other people gives you compassion, love and strength. Next time you want to pass judgement on someone, I challenge you to take an inner look at yourself and see if you can figure out why you are feeling insecure at that moment. Acknowledging these feelings are very powerful, and once you start gaining awareness of these thought/judgment patterns, you not only gain more compassion, but you get to know yourself a little bit better too.
 

 
Seeing other souls as our mirrors shows us how to sit back and pay attention. Instead of taking conversations and human interaction for granted, we can be more present with each other and truly remain open to learning and sharing, as opposing to judging and closing off. Taking an introspective look into yourself not only allows more empathy to enter your system; it also provides more compassion for what someone else might be going through. Having this sort of compassion can be very powerful and will create more connection into your life. I challenge you to see yourself in everyone and everything. This is the concept of Namaste: the light in me honors the same light within you.
 
When you judge, you’re giving others permission to judge too. To flip the perspective to a positive one, when you shine, you give others permission to shine too. As Katrina Mayer once said, “let your light shine so brightly that others can see their way out of the darkness.”

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