L'Amour

"With life as short as a half-taken breath, don't plant anything but love."

~Rumi

I've been learning A LOT about love lately.  

And as you might suspect, or perhaps has been the case for you too, this requires a great deal of questioning (existing beliefs and conditioning), contemplation, and reintegration.

Thankfully, I continue to come across tremendous teachers ~ both in person and in print ~ who provide just the dose I need to point me in the next right direction.

This past week, that guidance has come from Chapter 2 of Happy Yoga  and this awesome blog post by Cheri Huber. 

Having this wisdom about love on board doesn't necessarily make it any easier to practice.  However, it *is* slowly changing how I view the world and navigate my daily relationships.  And I find I am able to return to my peaceful center more quickly as I recall these various teachings.

It's almost like learning a new language ~ the language of the heart.

* * * 

"...here's the yogic truth:  The love you experience at any time with any person is not coming from them, it's coming from inside of you.  It's your experience of your true self.  In other words, the other person is the stimulus that allows your own love to be uncovered....

...Love is a radiant sun, burning for the sake of burning, shining for the sake of shining, asking nother in return.  The reward of being in a loving state is the greatest reward possible: being in a loving state.

Love does not want, love does not resist what is, love is not restrictive, and love is not judgmental.  Love is not controlling, manipulative, or conditional....

How do you become loving?  It's simple:  Stop wanting.  Well, it's simple to say that, but there's a little more to it.  It's not something you can think your way into.  In fact, the only way to attain a loving state is to quiet the mind a bit.

...A human being's challenge is to start from a place of chaos and wanting, and come to know peace.  The prize is so sweet, more cherished, and better understood for having gone through so much to attain it.

Be love.  It's that simple.  If you can, let go of wanting approval.  Let go of wanting love.  Give yourself some approval, give yourself some love.   You may realize that this is enough.  If you can let go of resisting who you are, and allow yourself to BE, exactly as you are, you might feel a tremendous relief.  THAT is loving yourself."

~Happy Yoga 

by Steve Ross

pages 44~49

* * * 

"Your task is not to seek for love, 

but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself 

that you have built against it."

 ~Rumi

Happy Valentine's Day, dear reader!

Thank you for being here with me. :-)