The Reciprocity of Love

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the topic “The Reciprocity of Love.”

For creatures who want to loved, appreciated, even adored, we certainly go about fulfilling our desires in a curiously unfulfilling way. Instead of manufacturing it ourselves in the little love machine inside our chests, we complain about not getting enough of it, search frantically for someone else to give it to us, and try to make ourselves more loveable by improving our looks or earning more money. But the truth is, the Beatles song has it right. The love you take is equal to the love you make. In other words, the most effective way to get love is to generate it yourself.

By cultivating caring, loving feelings you can actually provide yourself with the nourishment you seek. At the same time, by radiating those feelings outward to others, you can touch their tender hearts and naturally elicit the same feelings in them, creating a flow of love that keeps circulating between you and building upon itself.

- Stephan Bodian

The homework is to use your Yoga practice as the training ground to cultivate caring and loving feelings for yourself. When you come to class or practice at home remind yourself that you are perfect just the way you are and that you have unlimited capacity for Love. Know that committing to yourself through your practice is one way to build up your bank of Love.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
The BKS Iyengar Yoga School of Southwest Washington
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003