Consider the difference between reading for a school assignment and reading for pleasure. Or the difference between following a series of cued-up yoga postures and flowing your breath through waves of organic movement.
On the surface, the two would look pretty similar: someone hunched over a book in a Starbucks or someone next to you in yoga class. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll see that these dualities are more different than they are the same. The two are on completely different trajectories which will create completely different results. What sets their trajectory is not their action, but their intention.
When we choose to act out of curiosity and passion, we're able to more fully receive what it is we are seeking-- whether that be wisdom, food, or spirituality -- because we have the fuel and the fire to truly digest it. The most motivating force is bhakti, a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to loving-devotion.
Bhakti is the yoga of love and heart. It encourages you to act from an overwhelming love for the universe and for life itself. It is a completely unconditional love that doesn't need to be tied up in opinions, identity, or bias. It surpasses these.
Bhakti teaches us how to better connect with our emotions and feelings and how to use these tools of the heart to better connect with our higher selves. The infusion of bhakti can transform even the most menial of tasks into a sacred offering of your love of life. Doing the dishes is no longer a chore, it is a ritual. Writing an essay is no longer homework, it is an opportunity. The infusion of bhakti can transform an enemy into a friend.
But it's not all rosy. A life of endless love and compassion for the world is definitely not easy to come by, or else why wouldn't we all be living that way now? It usually requires a thorough understanding of your perspective and some hefty mental landscaping.
In invoking a bhakti-driven life, we must confront our emotions and the underlying assumptions that accompany them. We must see how these emotions influence our actions and our relationships and decide whether they are conduits for a life of love. When you look at your life from the standpoint that you deserve a life of boundless compassion, you realize there is no need for anything else. There is no room for anything else but love. It's a hard and sticky process, but this cleansing and clearing of space allows for more love to come in.
This is my intention for this blog... hence the title! This will be a space to write simply for the love of writing. This will be a space to pour and sort out all of the overwhelming, lovely, and sticky parts of this human life and to celebrate it.
Integrate: So how does all of this actually work in the real world? Pretty simply and slowly! To invite more bhakti into your life, consider the intention behind what you do. Maybe that means thinking about why you really want that new job or why you are choosing to watch Netflix for the fifth night in a row. If your intentions are out of love and purpose, great! If not, or if you are doubtful, take a few more days, or weeks, to meditate on it. Maybe there's something else you can devote your time and energy to, something that will inspire you to live a little more from your heart.
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