The Theme is Love

Love wasn't going to be my theme for class today.  No...I was going to share a Navajo prayer poem called In Beauty May I Walk. But, it will have to be my theme on Tuesday because, upon awakening this morning, the words in my head (that were not my own) said, "The theme is love".  Can the theme of love become redundant?  I am thinking not. If our true nature is love and our life lessons seem to be based on love, it is apparent most of us need reminding.  So, I am guessing the Universe is sending someone to my class this morning who needs to be reminded of love, that they are loved, that they are love.  Or, someone will (non-coincidentally) stumble across my website today for the first time and read this, because this is something they need to hear.  Maybe the theme is a reminder for me; I was mopey yesterday for no reason and kept thinking what a human-journey day it was.  I kept thinking, I just need to make it to my Sunday morning yoga class, because that will put me right back in my spiritual realm.  I feel it starting already in anticipation.  Or, maybe, (lol) it's because Thanksgiving is around the corner and being with family can sometimes seem more challenging than loving...hmmm.

Melissa Amber Lawrence wrote, ‘Let Go Let Love’ 

To “let go, let love”  is to surrender to your higher self and intuition. You are a powerful being!
To “let go, let love”  is to love thyne self, the way you are right now. Be your own best friend.
To “let go, let love”  is putting yourself first and realizing you take care of others more by caring for yourself.
To “let go, let love”  is to realize you create your own life so choose love in all that you do.
To “let go, let love”  is to allow learning and growth from all experiences without judgment.
To “let go, let love”  is to make the most of yourself and your gifts. Shine your light to the world.
To “let go, let love”  is to leave judgment aside and allow another to be a human being too.
To “let go, let love”  is to allow others to mold their own destinies and create their best lives.
To “let go, let love”  is to always grow and develop and flow with the divine universe.
To “let go, let love”  is to accept the present moment without judgment., there is love and learning there.
To “let go, let love”  is to search out your own life lessons, learn from them, grow and keep moving forward.
To “let go, let love”  is to open up to love more and more everyday in every way.
In Love

 
As you let go, let love, allow yourself to take responsibility for how you are feeling emotionally. Take responsibility for how you are feeling physically...on the mat.  It would be irresponsible not to; to push yourself into poses not meant for you today.

An unknown author wrote, “You can’t punish yourself into change. You can’t whip yourself into shape. But you can love yourself into well-being.” 

Right?  You can't punish yourself into a headstand!  You can't whip yourself into a deeper forward fold without paying the consequences tomorrow.  But you can love yourself into well-being.  You can love yourself for the fold you are in, not the one you expected to be in or thought you should be in.

Anthony de Mello:  "Compare the serene and simple splendor of a rose in bloom with the tensions and restlessness of your life. The rose has a gift: It is perfectly content to be itself.  It has not been programmed from birth, as you have been, to be dissatisfied with itself, so it has not the slightest urge to be anything other than it is."


There is a Zen story titled, "Why anger shouts, and love whispers." 
 
A saint who visited the river Ganges to take a bath, came across a group of family members who were shouting at each other in anger.

The saint turned to his disciples with a smile, "Why do people who are angry shout at each other?"
After a little while one disciple said, "Because we lose our calm. Then we shout." 
 "But why do you shout when the other person is right next to you? You can say what you have to say in a much softer manner," said the saint.  

 None of the disciples could give a good response. Then the saint decided to explain it.   "When two people are angry at each other, their hearts get further apart. To cover that distance, they have to shout to each other to be able to hear each other, and reach out. The angrier they get, the louder they must shout to be heard from such a great distance."

He then smiled, before he asked the disciples a new question,  "When two people fall in love, what happens? They talk softly to each other. Why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small.."
 
He concluded, "When two people's love grow even stronger, they only whisper because their hearts are so close. In the end, the love is so strong that they only need to look at each other. That is all."

 

So to whoever needed a theme on love and, that very well may be all of us, read the following and believe it in your heart:  I am loved (or Sandra wouldn't have taken the time to write this down for me!!!:)).  My true inner nature is love.  Everything else is illusion, maya.  My emotions are temporary.  Love is eternal.  I am happy. I am peaceful. I am beautiful. I am... (fill in the blank with a POSITIVE word).  I am love...  I am... I...  Now close your eyes and soak that in.