Today we are contemplating on the way society views love.
Love is so needed for human survival,
Yet it's so hard to define,
So hard to express,
And maybe even harder to receive.
Love is this term that is thrown around so often in almost every culture around the world.
Yet,
Depending from place to place,
The definition of it,
The expression of it,
And the way we receive it is so different.
And it's when we have different expectations that maybe conflict starts to arise.
Trapped love gets stored in the heart and in the body.
It doesn't only reside in the mind.
And if we don't give it a chance to release,
We create these blockages and resistance that over time builds up.
It builds up into these walls,
Walls that block us from expressing love,
Block us from receiving love.
We all have an innate desire to be loved and to show love,
But our communication around love,
Maybe based on expectations,
Based on what we were previously informed by,
Starts to cover that up.
And this is why love is so tricky.
It's hard.
And it can feel so heavy at times when other people don't know how to show us love,
But it's not their fault.
Maybe other people,
They don't receive the love we show,
And it's also not any of our fault.
It's just that the term love is so widely used,
Yet a term that can get misused sometimes.
At times when it seems like there is no love and all of the love has been sucked away,
Notice that maybe it's us creating these blockages.
Maybe it's us being resistant.
And if you've been carrying these blockages,
If you've been resisting yourself,
The thing is not to blame,
Shame,
Or guilt trip yourself.
The thing is to notice with awareness.
The practice of contemplation is just to open ourselves up,
To bring in compassion,
And just to notice,
Just to notice.
The love was always within us.
When we were kids,
We loved everything.
We sought curiosity on so much,
But as we grew up and the world began to influence us,
We sort of lost that purity.
We lost that sense of curiosity as we developed the sense of self and ego that acted like a barrier and blockage towards love and softness.
Love can also be shown through transactions.
Something like,
You do this for me,
I do this for you,
And then we'll love each other.
Love can also be shown through conditions.
Something like,
I will love you if you do this for me.
I will love you if you get an A on this test.
I will love you if you come to this event with me.
There's a condition attached to that love.
And in return,
Through love being shown as conditions,
Through love being shown as transactions,
We start to see love as this thing that we must plead for,
Because it's a core human survival need.
We need it,
So we have this intention to plead for it,
Because we can't receive it any other way.
In turn,
We turn into people pleasers.
We beg for love.
We put people on pedestals,
Begging for their love,
Begging for attention,
For their validation.
And if we don't get it,
It makes us feel bad.
It makes us feel unworthy.
We feel helpless.
We feel like we don't belong.
But I want you to know that there is love all around,
Even at times where it doesn't seem like it.
Even at times where the world may be hurting,
Or you may be hurting.
Know that somewhere,
There is love.
And you are always loved the way you are.
As you dive deeper into contemplation,
Allowing your thoughts to swim,
Maybe you have a notebook in front of you,
Or maybe you're in a restorative posture on your mat.
Notice how you define love.
When you hear the term love,
What comes into your mind?
What does the term love mean to you?
How do you express love?
How do you show love to other people?
Maybe that's through physical touch,
Hugs,
Handshakes,
Intimacy.
Maybe it's through the use of words.
Maybe you like writing long paragraphs,
Handwritten notes,
Sweet little text messages to brighten someone's day.
Maybe it's time.
Maybe you love showing time,
Giving time to other people.
Helping them with whatever it is that they need help with.
Maybe it's listening to them with steadfast presence.
Maybe it's through the act of gift giving,
Through objects.
Or maybe you express love by service.
Whatever it is,
Whatever your language of expressing love is,
Notice.
Bring awareness into it.
Lastly,
Notice how you receive love.
Are you open to receiving love?
When the people in your life show you an act of love,
What are the thoughts that run through your mind?
What do you feel in your body when someone else shows you love?
Notice.
Contemplate.
Have a think.
And remember,
As you write your answers down,
Or as you think through your answers,
Remember,
We do not have to place judgment.
We do not have to place blame or shame or guilt onto whatever we are experiencing.
Simply just notice.
Simply sit with what is and just be.
The aim of these contemplations,
The aim of these talks,
Is to cultivate that awareness.
When time slows and when there's time and space to think,
We cultivate this awareness that can act as a catalyst to change.
Once we are aware,
We can change.
Awareness is that first step,
And that's what we're trying to do right now,
Is to gain that first step,
Awareness.
Once we are aware,
So much can change.
As you finish up collecting your thoughts,
As you hold on to this newfound state of awareness around the word love,
As you hold on to your takeaways from this practice,
See what that means to you,
And see how you can take what you've learned today into the rest of your day,
Into the rest of your life.
