A note on love

Hey, everyone! I thought I would write to you on this particularly sunny Friday (Venus' Day) with some thoughts on love. Valentine's Day is in just one week! (My Venusian Libra-moon will take any excuse to celebrate love.)

Despite the holiday's somewhat illusive origins, I have come to use it as a reminder to do some of what I do best - make some cute pink and red crafts, light some candles, and shower myself and my friends with thoughtful gifts.

I remember how excited a second-grade Ashley used to get about giving her Valentines out at school - especially to her first crush. (Fun fact! My crush was Joe Keery from Stranger Things (yes - we were in the same class!).

Reverie and the holiday itself aside, something I can get excited about every day is the fact that right now, in this moment, I can choose love.

And contrary to what society tells us, especially at this highly-commercialized holiday, love isn’t about gaining something we don’t already have - the Buddha taught that there is a flowering lotus of metta, or lovingkindness, ever-available at our heart’s center.

The ancient yogis knew that all we need to do to experience love is to soften and relax into the light of our own true nature.

You might try this now: Take a full, deep breath in, and a long, slow exhale. And as you exhale, feel your shoulders relax, jaw and palms unclench. Repeat a deep inhale through the nose, and soften your body even more, breathing out through the mouth. One more time... on your own now.

Now, even if you are in public, lightly place your hand upon your heart and perhaps close your eyes. Allow the touch to reflect an inquiry into your true nature. What is the quality of my being? Could it be that the truth of who I am is the vastness that can hold everything within my human heart?

There is nothing you need to attain beyond yourself to experience love. No, your ability to give and receive love is not dependent upon others. Whether you're single or taken, it starts with you and your relationship with the wisest, most loving and compassionate part of you.

From the yogic teachings:

I am not my thoughts; I have thoughts. I am not the body; I have a body.

I am not the mind; I have a mind.

I am a child of the universe.

I am loved.