ON PURPOSE — Love
🕐 20 minute read
Welcome to the ON PURPOSE series, where I choose a specific topic to dive deep into, unraveling its layers and discovering ways to embody it as a monthly intention with heightened purpose.
We started the year exploring Discipline's role as a guiding force for purposeful living beyond January, setting the tone for the entire year. Read the full breakdown here.
If you've been keeping up with my weekly newsletters, you're familiar with how I kick off each month-long series. I take a pulse on the ahead and provide a set of thought-provoking questions to prompt reflection + encourage embodiment.
Live each month on purpose.
Collectively, we are all thematically aware of Love. How can we rebuild our understanding of love? Uncovering how it can serve as a guiding force for our life.
And with that, let’s dive into our monthly exploration of living on purpose — February 2024.
*A sankalpa is an intention or resolution formed by the heart-mind, and in this case, a monthly focus. It’s a statement that reflects your true self and helps guide your actions and thoughts towards personal + spiritual growth.
SANKALPA
I DIVE INTO MY HEART, INFUSING EVERY ACTION WITH LOVE. GUIDED BY LOVE, I NUTURE CARE, RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT & TRUST — AN INTENTIONAL ACT TO FOSTER SPIRITUAL GROWTH FOR A MORE COMPASSIONATE WORLD.
If you’re reading this looking to actively participate with the teachings shared in this series, choose to tune into the force of love. This month’s sankalpa is based off Bell Hook’s book ‘All About Love: New Visions.’
She writes, “Love as ‘the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nuturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.’ Love is as love does, Love is an act of will — namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love.”
VISION
REFLECT
By exploring these questions, deepen your understanding of your intention and embody it into your daily life.
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Reflect on Bell Hooks' idea of love as "the will to extend oneself." How can you extend yourself to support the spiritual growth of yourself and others?
Guided by love, think about the ways you can foster spiritual growth, both for yourself and others, as a deliberate act.
How can you actively infuse love into your interactions and decisions?
Consider how this intention aligns with nurturing care, responsibility, respect, and trust in your daily actions.
Prioritize respectful communication to yourself and others, lean into trust, and cultivate a baseline of optimism: “I trust this is going to work out.”
Consider any challenges or conflicts you may face in February. How can approaching them with a foundation of love influence the outcomes?
As you navigate challenges or setbacks, consider how a foundation of love can provide resilience and strength. How can love be a source of empowerment during difficult times?
Consider areas where love may be lacking and how actively choosing to infuse love can fill those gaps.
Reflect on the choice to love and its impact on perceptions, actions, and the energy you bring to the world. Remember, love is a transformative choice that shapes personal interactions and contributes to a positive impact on the broader world.
How can you remind myself to return to love throughout the month?
Identify specific moments in your daily life where you can consciously choose love over other reactions or emotions.
Consider creating daily reminders or rituals to infuse love into your days . Bit by bit, weave it in.
GUIDANCE
From Michael Stone, author of The Inner Tradition of Yoga:
By love, I don't mean just between people — I mean a love for invention, architecture, neighborhoods, water, whales, soil, technology, farmers, etc. I'm talking about a love that doesn't leave anything out. When we look deeply at the physical world, all we find are relationships. So we need to take care of those relationships because that's what you are. Did you think you were something else?
How do we cultivate a life where we don't make ourselves separate from things? In doing so, we stop seeing them as "things." We stop turning ourselves into things, and others into things.
We have to go to a place deep within. Otherwise you end up running around. Which is really just trying to get other people to love you. But trying to get other people to love you is actually the biggest obstacle to itself because it blocks other people from really being allowed to see you — because you don't know who you are since you're running around.
All of this is a way of talking about love.
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Stone urges us to expand our concept of love. Beyond personal connections, he encourages us to embrace a love that encompasses everything around us – from nature to technology to emails (hehe). This love is rooted in recognizing the interconnectedness of all things. By turning inward, we avoid seeking validation externally and instead discover our true selves. As a teacher and practitioner, this perspective guides us to cultivate a loving awareness and make genuine connections in our practice and daily lives.
I hosted a dinner party some time ago and asked everyone a silly question: What is your favorite word at the moment? One guest's response, "relationship," has stayed with me ever since. It's become a constant reminder for me to consider my connections—to things, to myself, and to others.
And it's this love, I believe, that we all need gentle reminders of.
“Invisible threads are the strongest ties.”
SCIENCE OF THE HEART
“it’s only
and
ever
heart work.”
For almost thirty years, the HeartMath Institute (HMI) has been studying the science of the heart. In particular, a physiological state backed by an abundance of medical + scientific research that was eventually termed the heart-coherent state. When we are in that state, HMI has found, our hearts beat at a particular frequency that facilitates gratitude, happiness, and better communication. They've discovered shocking insights that, frankly, everyone needs to know about.
The heart-coherent state is a scientifically measurable state that people naturally shift into when they’re feeling kind, appreciative, and compassionate. You know those days when you walk out the door in the morning, and it’s beautiful out? You may not express it, but the beauty of the day fills you will appreciation. You’re probably in a heart-coherent state.
According to Research Director Dr. Rollin McCraty, “Coherence is the state when the heart, mind, and emotions are in energetic alignment and cooperation. It is a state that builds resilience.”
The scientific explanation behind "catching a vibe" lies in the fact that the heart generates the body's largest rhythmic electromagnetic field. This energy envelopes every cell in your body. Your heart generates sufficient electrical energy to produce a magnetic field that extends around your body in all directions, measurable up to about 3 feet beyond your skin (your aura!). These magnetic fields have been proven to be involved in energetic communication. To take it a step further, the scientists discovered that the heart has its own neural network which acts independently of the cranial brain, suggesting that your heart has a brain of its own. I hope this gives you the permission to listen to your heart.
I’m just scratching the surface here. I encourage you to look into the research. It’s really cool…
And as we journey forward, let us remember the power of our hearts. Take a moment to place your hands over your heart, feel its steady rhythm, and realign with love, compassion, and connection. Let your heartbeat be your reminder of the force of love that unites us all.
