“Love is the only Language I speak fluently.”
When you read the title of this post, what do you feel? Does it make you feel hopeful? Do you feel connected to the statement above? Do you feel that it encompasses the message of yoga and what the practice conveys?
I consider myself to be an optimistic person. I enjoy looking at every situation, whether it is difficult or not, as a lesson. Here is the thing, I don’t look for external validation. I also don’t tend to go with the crowd. When I was younger, there was a period of time when everyone was wearing holes in their jeans. It was a fashion to buy pants with pre-made holes. Even in high school, during this trendy period, I thought it was absurd. I thought that anyone who would purchase pants with holes already pre-made was out of their mind. If you want holes in your jeans then just go make them yourself. This is the same thing that I thought for many other types of fashion trends.
Honestly, I think that the statement in the title is laughable. Why? Well, most people want to think that they speak love, but it is often only when they want to speak love. When their version of love is just right, when the circumstances of life are feeling good, and when things are going the way they see fit.
Yoga isn’t about seeing things the way you think they should be or even making an experience be the way you want it to be. It is about seeing everything for what it really is. This includes war, trash on the beaches, the person you disagree with politically, disagreements with religion, or any other subjects. Yoga is not separate from feelings, but it is not about making them your identity. It is not denying that feelings can arise, but knowing that you are ultimate truth which is beyond emotions, personal reactions to experiences, and any attachment to the outcome of the body or mind.
I ask you, who are you at your worst? In that moment, in your hardest hour, is love the only language you speak fluently? Be honest with yourself. Family can be one of the best testers of all time. There was a great master by the name Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. One day, someone reacted with violence towards him. As he was teaching, all of a sudden an individual from the crowd leapt froward towards him and encircled his hands around his neck. There was the upheaval of the crowd, but Nisargadatta kept a calm demeanor. It takes a strong practice to not let a violent attempt take you out of the true practice of peace and love.
To wish love, even to someone who wishes you the worst, is a sign of a strong practice. Especially in the moment of potential harm or dismissal. To speak the language of love is a deep practice. Some say that love isn’t the best way to describe this language, it can be described as speaking to one’s selfless self. I share this because it is not a practice that is to be taken lightly or casually. To speak the language of love takes strong conviction. It takes strength. For many it takes time.
“Love, affection, loyalty, faith, trust are the literal words of the body base. Activity is spontaneous. You are loving yourself more than others. Self-love, love, affection, attraction, all are body-based. Prior to the body, prior to beingness, did you know about love, afftection, trust, faith? No, nothing. Don’t cling to any words. ‘I am not’ is also an illusion. To say ‘I am not"‘, some presence has to be there first.” - Sri Ramakant Maharaj
To truly speak the language of love is a rare feature to witness. It doesn’t need words but it also has no boundaries. Just because you simply love your child endlessly, without limitations, can you love all children the same as you do yours? Can you walk up to everyone you meet as if you are meeting yourself or as if you are meeting the child inside each person? We know that not everyone will show you love, but to show them unconditional love back, no matter the stipulations, is truly an act of pure grace. Can you be honest? Can you practice the act of speaking the language of love? Leave the wounds of your past behind, go forth, and speak the truth that everyone you meet is dying to hear.