HOW to Walk a Cat (and Open your Heart)
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” Pope Francis
Listen in the car, on a walk,
while you are doing something or nothing at all.
Dear Friends,
In my search to understand love and compassion more deeply, I offer you a story about a cat named Luna, intertwined with wisdom from Pope Francis, nature, and Eastern philosophy. I am so enthusiastic about what I want to share and hope this all weaves together with my intention. May it make sense to you, and may it bring warmth.
“Compassion is universal. But its meaning-and how we live it-can look different across cultures and traditions. From religious leaders to peace activists, these voices remind us that compassion is a force that connects us. It’s how we show up for one another, across borders, beliefs, and backgrounds.”
Beautiful Compassion Quotes.
Pope Francis on compassion:
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
Compassion with Luna the Cat: Nature, Connection, and Wisdom
For the last eight months, I’ve had the unexpected honor of caring for my daughter’s cat, Luna. I didn’t think I could ever live with a cat due to allergies, but with some allergy meds and an open heart, we’ve become fast friends.
Luna is a sweet companion, attuned to the rhythms of our days. When she arrived, I wanted to honor my daughter’s trust and care for Luna with love, while also making sure she could safely enjoy the outdoors. She’s a hybrid cat, and we take “recess” together-meandering outside, just being together.
One evening, my partner and I saw a neighbor walking his dog and his cat-no leash, just a quiet stroll.
We stopped and asked, “How do you walk a cat?”
He smiled and said,
“Well… when you invite a cat on a walk…”
That simple phrase landed with me, sparking curiosity and wonder. He explained that, as mammals, we want to be together and the cat will naturally follow.
We all want to be close. There’s an inherent knowing inside all of us—a natural intelligence that draws us together. I’ve found that it is necessary to deeply relax and trust her. Simply being with her as she is, without pushing an agenda, allows for an easeful nighttime walk or hanging out in nature together.
Maybe that’s the simplest truth about love and connection:
It’s not about holding tightly, but about walking with a gentle lightness of heart and mind-trusting that connection.
Luna lights up outside—rolling in the dirt, grounding, running, climbing, watching, and always checking in to see where I am.
She reminds me that we all come alive in nature, because nature is our original home. What we need isn’t complicated. Simplicity in nature returns us to the ground of being, reminding us, we are nature.
I came across this quote from Pope Francis:
“We are not meant to be inundated by cement, asphalt, glass and metal and deprived of physical contact with nature.”
Grief, Love, and the Wisdom of Practice
Luna will return to my daughter soon, and there’s heartache and grief in that. I will miss her.
I remember what I’ve been taught from the wisdom path of a Dzogchen Tibetan lineage and many other teachers and paths:
Grief is tender; it shows how much we love. The connection we feel doesn’t disappear—it simply changes form. Whether you’ve lost someone, changed a relationship, or are physically far from those you love, this inherent connection is always present and never disconnected from the heart essence of who we all are.
Compassion in Uncertain Times
Compassion comes so naturally when we soften and open our heart—and yet, it can be just as easy to harden it, too. The recent passing of Pope Francis reminded me of his living example of compassion in a complicated world: meeting everything and everyone with tenderness and an open heart.
It reminds me of another powerful teaching: if we were walking in another’s shoes, with their history, pain, hopes, and fears, we would be acting and behaving in exactly the same way.
Therein lies the softening.
Therein lies the understanding.
Therein lies compassion—unleashed.
And this, too, is nature’s intelligence-our original home.
I’m holding that close right now-in uncertain times, collective heartache, political intensity, and constant change. We are all walking this together. Whether in joy, grief, uncertainty, or love, we are here together.
Yoga, meditation, and being in nature—the diligence of practice—brings us back. Repetition furthers; count on that for wellness, stability and beneficial responsiveness.
And even Luna, walking beside me on a quiet evening, brings me back.
A Simplified Morning Meditation inspired by this book and Green Tara:
Sit in a comfortable seat, spine lengthening, sit bones rooted into the earth.
Feel the warmth in your body and in your heart, and notice the flow of your breath.
Imagine warm light within your heart, expanding out into the spaciousness of blue sky—know that you are not alone.
Imagine yourself surrounded by friends, loved ones, and supporters. Include their friends as well, and continue further until you’ve imagined an infinite number of beings, all receiving natural warmth, light, and love all around and within.
Settle into your breath, following the natural inhale and exhale. Notice the pause at the end of the exhale. Notice your inherent power to know; trust that inner knowing.
Wish for the happiness and the end of suffering for all beings. Wish for equanimity and freedom of heart and mind, love and wellness for all beings, seen and unseen.
Rest and relax in the open spaciousness of awareness and allow your thoughts to flow along-feel into everything as it is, without descriptions. Feel into the warmth and comfort of your heart and the entire expansive universe. Know that you are not alone.
Rest in the spaciousness of heart and mind for as long as you feel comfortable.
You will be able to find this on my Insight Timer within a week here.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
The Dalai Lama
Retreat announcement
Yoga & Nature Retreat — February 21–28, 2026
I’m so happy to share this: I’ll be co-leading and announcing my first yoga-centered retreat in early 2026, and it’s truly a special one. We'll be gathering on a secluded beach tucked beside a jungle reserve, immersed in the rhythms of the elements, local culture, and the heart of nature itself.
This retreat will be rooted in yoga, the five elements, and Ayurvedic wisdom—guided in collaboration with my dear friend Jenn, a brilliant teacher and owner of a local studio in Missoula. It’s a full-body reset, aligned with sustainability, simplicity, and deep restoration.
We’ll stay in luxurious open-air treehouse accommodations with farm-to-table meals, beneath the full moon and within reach of a turtle sanctuary and vibrant local community. If you love barefoot living, fresh ocean air, and open-hearted yoga practices in connection with the ocean, this might be for you.
Note: This isn’t connected to my meditation practices in Dzogchen. I’ll offer retreats with different focuses down the line, but this one is centered in yoga and nature. If that speaks to you, reach out—I’ll be sharing more soon.
P.S. This eco-lodge location has received numerous travel awards and has been featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, Travel and Leisure, GQ, ELLE and USA Today.
Final Thoughts
Wherever you are today—whatever you’re holding-may we all remember:
You are not alone. Rest deeply, return to the breath, to your inherent power to know, the ground of being, your true nature.
We are compassion.
With love and peace,
Cheyenne
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