"You are such a romantic at heart!" That’s a phrase that I've heard about me numerous times. Maybe it's because my birthday is within days of Valentine's Day. The truth is though that I'm a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Valentine's Day because it feels like it's become a commercial event – a lot like Mother's Day, Father's Day, and on and on. I think you have to be very careful about whether you are buying things to show your love, to help you create a feeling of love, or buying things to gain love.
True love is really what you seek but the romantic love of Valentine's Day, for example, can wax and wane. So too can the love you feel for your mother, or father, when things are not going well. I would define true love as a feeling that starts within you expanding out through you and can be interpreted as joy, compassion, or peace. This feeling of love permeates all that you do and lingers long after you have left the presence of others because you remind them of their capacity to love as well. A store-bought gift will never do that.
Does that sound a little far-fetched? It's actually not at all far-fetched but something that can be accessed, maintained, and increased through a daily practice. Just think about someone you’ve met who left you feeling at peace, or who brought a sense of tranquility when they entered a room. Wouldn’t you like to experience that feeling and leave that impression? My first choice for developing this feeling would be with the healing system of Reiki. However, the practice of tai chi, yoga, or meditation can accomplish the same goal. No matter the system used the idea is to be in contact with the source far greater than yourself but which actually resides within you.
Both tai chi and yoga use a combination of movement and breath to create the path to your inner source. If you live in chronic pain or have limited movement these systems may not work well for you. Meditation requires no movement while Reiki practice requires only a minimal amount of movement. It is often said to be very meditative without the difficulties of meditation. What I love most about the Reiki practice is the ease with which you can learn it and use it every day for yourself along with the added bonus of the healing that naturally happens.
In the spiritual practice of Reiki you are taught that your very essence is love and through your daily practice that love grows, expands, and blesses everyone around you. Likewise, yoga and tai chi are spiritual practices because they bring union with the body, mind and soul. The formats are just a little different. The bonus is that Reiki is also a healing practice without any extra effort. It brings balance to the body system resulting in a move away from stress and constant coping. This allows rest and rejuvenation to be the focus of the body systems.</span>
If you were looking for a deeper meaning to love, for a way to genuinely feel love, or maybe to know yourself in a more expansive way, I would invite you to explore the Reiki practice.
(read more about Reiki in Life, Spiritual Practice & Reiki)