I used to be embarrassed by my capacity to love. I’ve never been described as being emotionally shy, but for most of my life growing up as a sensitive Cancer, the vulnerability of being a Bhakti Yogi felt like my greatest liability. (I'd only admit to this behind closed doors in a whispered voice). Why couldn't I be good at some really respectable quality like perseverance or fearlessness? So I would put on various disguises to hide my enormous Heart Chakra. I didn't want to be ridiculed by the other kids.
On Love And Vulnerability
The fourth chakra is that of the heart center. A favorite book of mine, Wheels of Light by foremost Chakra expert Anodea Judith states, “LOVE IS A UNIFYING FORCE: it draws things together and keeps them in relationship. And there is no greater way to invite love than to offer it first.”
See, yoga not an escape from life. It is a way to feel the pulse. This pulse (spanda) is like the beating of your physical heart. Whether we admit it or not, science views our heart intelligence to be just as (or even more) powerful as our intellect. Our hearts’ constant dialogue with one another is measurable. It is natural to feel each other's vibration and want to find connection and build relationships. We can try to put up barriers to this innate intelligence…or we can embrace our capacity to LOVE and grow it bigger.
Isn't the point of yoga, this union, to bring our most loving selves out into the open? It took me a long time and much resistance to realize that being vulnerable opens up greater pathways to love and healing. Our capacity to be vulnerable is directly linked to our capacity for intimacy and love, especially the kind of unconditional love that doesn’t sit in judgment. And living from a place of Bhakti (which means love) takes courage. In other words…
Love Is Not For Wimps — It Is The Most Advanced Practice Of Yoga
“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known [!xa0!/]
