As Valentine’s day comes around the corner, we see manifestations of love in heart shaped gifts, but can this holiday make us wonder: what does love look like as a practice, a way of being? Whether you are single or in a relationship, there is practicality to cultivating love. When we lead with compassion and awareness, the benefits of that cultivation go far beyond oneself.
Our world is in a deep state of suffering, with conflicts arising from fear and imbalances of power at every level across the globe, in our natural ecosystems, and within ourselves. Knowing this, we can choose to be overwhelmed or we can choose to cultivate that change we want to see in this world within us.
Falling in Love with Nature
Experiencing a connection with the natural world through appreciation and awareness can open our minds to see the beauty in life all around us.
- In Ayurveda, the universe is described as a macrocosm of the microcosm within our own bodies. We can see how our internal ecosystem is reflected by the environment around us through the elemental system of Ayurveda. When we learn to tend to ourselves and the sacred desires of our consciousness, we can sustain the experience of pure love and reflect that onto the natural world around us. Conversely, experiencing a connection with the natural world through appreciation and awareness can open our minds to see the beauty and love in life all around us, including our life force.
- We know that plants photosynthesize, producing oxygen and sugar so we can breathe and eat well. But how often do we recognize and give gratitude to nature for her efforts? Anyone who has sat outside for long enough can tell you the benefits of being in nature. But how can we experience the feelings of love and peace that nature brings us more often in our daily lives?
- We can give gratitude to the plants that transformed the light of the sun into life and energy so that we may be nurtured by this earth, in vital nutrients and breath. We can see the divine in all parts of life, and give thanks for the food that heals us, the experiences that make us more patient, and the other people on this earth.
- If I am a reflection of you and we are a reflection of nature, then can we see the beauty in all people, the divine in all things? Humanity is desperate for love, we are suffering because we see one another as separate. The truth is, “love’s strongest conviction is of unity” (Chopra, 1991, p.156) That feeling of belonging, that of wholeness, is the universal love that we are all meant to be experiencing. Appreciating beauty in the world around us need not stop at the meadow, if we can use our intelligence with love, the consequences of our actions can serve to heal humanity.
- It’s one step to believe in loving your neighbor, but there’s a second step which involves an awareness of unity and sustaining the cultivation of love throughout one’s life.
Making a Commitment to Love Through Self Care
- Cultivating love can easily start with the self. Love does not require anything you do not already have, no partner and no object is needed for love. When we learn to create love within ourselves, it can transform the lens we see life through and align our desires with the needs of humanity in a natural way.
- Caring for ourselves as guided by Ayurveda, and our inner wisdom, is best practiced when awareness is full. Self care is a moment to moment practice which requires an acute mindfulness and attention to the world around us and within us. This can be as simple as checking in with yourself throughout the day on an emotional and physical level. Asking yourself when you are feeling off, have you been holding in any natural urges? Ayurveda reminds us that our body has an inner wisdom that is meant to guide us, listening to our body when we need to take a deep breath, drink water, go to the bathroom, etc. is a form of self care that requires our attention.
- On an emotional level, asking ourselves throughout the day if we are anxious, upset, or angry, can help us catch these feelings stemming from fear before they expedite into more. Living this life requires so much compassion and trust. Loving awareness is the remedy for these emotions which stem from fear. This life is happening for us to realize that bringing our awareness to a place of love creates health.
- When we set standards for our life that are grounded in loving intention, we will see the results we desire in our lives and in the world over time.
References
Chopra, Deepak. Creating Health. Boston New York. Houghton Mifflin Company. Revised ed. 1991.
Photo by Hassan OUJBIR
Published 2/11/2025
Article by Kaylee
