“All we need is love” (Lennon and McCartney)
This is the essence of our lives. This is a Universal Truth.
In Sanskrit the word for loving-kindness is Maitri and it is a fundamental aspect of Yoga practice.
It is an offer of the heart where there is full acceptance, goodwill, friendliness and a sincere interest in the people we are with.
I feel that the first Sutra by Patanjali is a way to cultivate this attitude of love, it is a practice of Maitri:
‘Atha Yoga Anushasanam‘ And now Yoga… it is only in the now we can truly connect, see, understand, realize, ourselves and others,
our own humanity and the humanity in others.
So to love is all about being present and giving our attention fully and completely. Not paying attention as a debt but
giving attention or offering attention and knowing that, to be the most precious valuable gift for ourselves and for others.
What does it mean to be present? It Is allowing our mind to quiet, to be still, to let go of our preoccupations, ideas, judgments,
fixations and offer our undivided attention.
Writing this, I realized that the Hebrew expression for ‘To pay attention’ is ‘Lasim Lev’ which literally means to put your heart.
Where should we put our hearts? We should put our hearts where we are and bring our minds to dwell in our hearts.