Antarika Prema ~ Some Kind of Love

When I did my yoga teacher training at the Sivananda Ashram outside of Montreal, we had lessons on yoga philosophy from Swami Mahadevananda. During one of them he talked about love. He clarified the type of love he was referring to by saying "not the 'I love' you honey" kind of love. That kind of love comes and goes he said. 'At first you're saying how much you love her long blond hair and then in six months when you find one of those long blond hairs in your soup, you don't love it so much' he explained.

The kind of love that he was referring to was the ever-lasting love that we feel from our core for our fellow inhabitants of the earth, for the earth itself, and for spirit. It's the love that comes from our Divine source, not a sentiment, but a recognition that we are all divine creatures that are worthy of respect, kindness and, yes, love. This kind of love, antarika prema in Sanskrit, is a whole-hearted, inward, divine love. When you practice compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy and equanimity this sort of love emanates from you and becomes a source of love as it circles back to you. On this valentines day, I hope that you are able to send and receive true love with everyone you meet.