Coming Home To Love - Loving Yourself And Loving Others

You know so many holidays point towards love.

This icon of love that we have.

Whether it's that perfect family time or that perfect couple's time or whichever it is.

It's like the world knows that we all want to be loved and the world thinks that it comes from outside.

All the world's so ready for love.

And the greatest source of that love is you.

The greatest source of it is inside of you.

And I understand wanting it from the outside.

For myself,

Oh man you know just wanting it.

Wanting somebody on the outside to love me.

And that's how one time I finally recognized that I was doing rejection of myself.

Because if people would say,

Wait do you reject yourself?

I'd be like no I don't really think horrible things about me you know.

I don't think I do self-rejection.

And then I found a little part of me that wanted to be loved and it wanted it from the outside.

And I knew enough to know that I was going to love that part.

I was going to give it some love and I thought when I offer it love yeah it's gonna it's gonna want that.

And I offered it some of my own love.

And that little part just sort of you know if it could turn around it turned around and looked at me and was like I don't want yours I want it from out there.

And I was shocked.

I was like oh my gosh.

And then I realized oh that's self-rejection.

To think that it's out there and there's nothing wrong with wanting it from the outside of course.

And oh my gosh it's so wonderful when we do receive love from the outside.

But oh have you loved yourself?

Because there's no greater love than loving yourself.

Because there's a part of you that knows everything you've ever thought or ever done and it adores you.

It doesn't hold it against you.

It loves you.

And that's the real you.

And finding that part of you is the greatest gift that you can ever have.

So let's go to that spot inside of ourselves that loves us no matter what we've done or said or thought.

That sees past all the things that we're embarrassed about.

Says don't even think about it.

Don't worry about it.

That was so over.

Well you only thought that.

You didn't even act on it.

Let's join that part of ourselves.

So let's take a deep breath together.

And this is just a reminder.

The reminder our body gives us that we are loved is the ability to breathe in the air.

And as we breathe in,

We breathe in that air and it fills our lungs and it tells us leave your mind behind and go deeply into your body.

Because we don't find that love up here in our minds.

We find it here in our being.

And wherever you feel the most you,

Wherever you center and feel the most you,

Breathe into that space.

And that which gives life the breath also provides love.

And it greets your inside of your body.

And you breathe into that centered space and whatever it feels like or looks like to you,

And it's not the same as anybody else's,

You just breathe into that space and you relax.

Because meeting you isn't hard.

We make it lofty and sometimes so unattainable because we've found that love is hard to come by when we're seeking it from others.

But that's not how it is with ourselves.

And as we grow that space inside of ourselves,

Then we can share it out to others and say loving you is not a strain.

It's not hard.

So as you center in yourself and you greet yourself,

Hello,

And you travel down from the mind and follow it into wherever you're most centered,

And you relax there.

And your mind will be like,

Come back,

Come back up here.

And you'll be like,

Oh no no,

Going back down,

Holding the space for me.

See,

We worry that we won't be loved because we've spent so much time judging ourselves.

And that part that loves us never has judged us.

Because you can either love or you can judge,

But you can't do both at the same time.

And life is so much more of a pleasure when you spend time loving you and not judging you.

And we think it's complicated and hard because we've been taught we've got to earn it,

We've got to be good,

And that has nothing to do with love.

Because you don't earn love.

You are loved.

And you are love.

And we just haven't been told that very often,

But some part of us has always known that.

Because we want it.

And the desire of your heart is to love you.

Because nobody is going to love you like you can love you.

So when that little part of me said,

I don't want it from you,

I want it from the outside.

I want it from somebody else.

I understood.

And I loved it anyway.

And I kept loving it.

Even though it didn't want me,

I kept on loving it.

And then it caught a glimpse of that kind of love.

And that part of me realized that was enough.

In fact,

It was more than enough.

And it came running to me.

Because I didn't know who I really was.

And it could be loved by the person who knew it the most,

By the person who spent every night with it,

Every day with it.

And we think sometimes,

How can loving myself be enough?

Well,

You're going to have to take a leap of faith.

Because,

Of course,

It doesn't feel like that's going to be enough.

And at first,

It's hard to hold it for very long.

But just like any relationship that you spend time in,

The more you spend time with you,

The more you're going to fall in love with yourself.

Because you are so loved.

So breathing into that centered space.

Leaving the mind behind.

Relaxing into your body.

Feeling inside of your body.

And there's a door to love inside of there.

And coming home to you.

And I'm curious,

As you breathe in and you take that stairwell down from the mind,

And you notice all the thoughts that are there.

What if I don't love me?

What if I'm one of the ones who can't?

Oh yes,

You do.

And oh yes,

You will.

And you walk past all those thoughts in your mind.

And you catch the next breath down.

And you carry it into that center of you.

And when you get there,

To that centered space,

And I don't care what it feels like,

You do not worry.

Don't worry that you hadn't found it.

Because it's the intent.

The intent to do it.

The desire to love you.

To discover the love that you are.

It's going to greet you.

It's going to find you too.

You're not going to miss out on the love of your life.

And then you're going to have a life of love.

And it's all because of you.

So relax into that.

And breathe into that.

And know that no matter what it looks like right now,

The more you practice this,

The more you wake up and say,

I'm going to love me.

I'm going to find me.

All that is,

Is the mind figuring out what you've already chosen to do.

Because when your mind says,

I'm going to love me,

I'm going to find me,

Unbeknownst to it,

You're right behind it.

You're already there.

Because for the mind to choose to love you,

The decision was made already.

You came already to the conclusion that you're going to love you.

And then your mind says,

Maybe I'll find me.

And so it starts to look.

And so it's like watching a little kid play hide and seek,

Where you can hide and watch them start to look.

And that's how,

That's how it already is.

So that centered space inside of you is watching you seek and knowing that you've already been found.

Watching it and enjoying it.

Not stressing about it.

Don't stress what your mind says.

The love is already there.

And it's watching.

And it's loving.

And it watches the mind think that it can't.

And it watches the mind worry whether it'll find it or not.

The whole time making sure to make a little racket so that you turn around and look.

It's just like when you play with a little kid hide and seek.

You're really well hidden.

And you watch them looking around.

And you enjoy it.

And you make a little sound so they turn to the right spot and find you.

And that's the way it is with the love that you have for you.

It's so big that you can't hide from it.

And who would want to?

And it's so loving that it exudes into your entire body.

And just let that space from the center,

Even as you're listening to my voice,

You just let that voice drift into the background.

And feel your centered space.

And you let your thoughts run around and play.

But you know you don't have to pay attention to every thought.

It's like recess.

You just watch them all play.

And you just get closer and closer to that centered feeling.

And that love is there.

And you let everything else become just something you're observing.

The thoughts.

And it's like everything starts slowing down as you come home to yourself.

You start to realize you can notice many thoughts at the same time.

And you can hear the rise and the fall of my voice.

And something in the silence is just there.

And that's you.

And you can't quite put your finger on it.

But you're not supposed to.

It's the abiding love that you are.

That doesn't care about the thoughts that you're having.

It's not concerned with all those little details.

It's loving your organs.

It's loving your body.

It's loving your heart.

And it's loving your mind.

And it's love.

And that is you.

So you thought that you were your thoughts.

And you never were.

And you thought that you were your body.

And you not just your body.

You're this deep abiding space that's always home.

It's just been waiting for you to quiet down a little bit.

And realize you don't have to come home.

You are home.

And you're the home for yourself.

And you're the home for those thoughts.

And you're the home for that body.

And you're the home for all those that you love.

And behind all those thoughts is that deep spacious you that's home everywhere.

Because you're never separate.

You're not out there looking for home.

You are home.

You're not out there looking for love.

You are love.

And when you rest your mind and slide into that space there's so much peace.

And there's not really words for it.

And you just feel it and relax into it more.

And you let it light on the inside of you.

And it can feel like quiet or vibration.

It can be like a little light.

And when you get closer to that little light you realize that it's a part of a star.

It looks like a little light but it's connected to that star.

And that star is connected to the universe.

And it's friends with the sun.

And your thoughts try to get your attention.

But a star that's friends with the sun really isn't too worried about those thoughts.

So they can run amok.

And you don't have to care.

Because you're not just those thoughts.

And you can love each and every one of those thoughts without hearing everything that they're saying.

That you're so spacious that worlds fit into you.

Worlds fit into you.

So one little thought about what you said yesterday is not going to stop love.

It's coming at you like the sun.

And it's filling your body.

And you didn't even know you had the capacity to love that deeply.

To love that easily.

That you don't have to come home because you are home.

And you don't have to find love.

You just be love.

The love that you are.

And you let that love fill your body from your head to your toes.

And you let it warm your heart.

And you focus so much on that love that even if someone's speaking to you.

Sounds like something in the background.

But you're so present to the love that you are.

And as they're talking to you about their day.

And you're looking at them.

And you're hearing that they're saying words.

You're just loving them.

And you just love.

And you look at them with love.

And they keep talking to you.

And you get a little caught up in what they're saying.

And then you go,

Oh yeah that's right.

Let me feel love for myself.

And remind my body of how wonderful that feels.

And let me feel my feet with that love.

And let me feel my legs with that love.

Let me feel my torso with that love.

Let it pour out of my eyes and out of my mouth.

Let me radiate it to you as well as to myself.

And me first.

Because when my body is so full of that,

It is no struggle to love you.

Because you fit in the world inside of me.

And if you don't feel home,

That's okay.

Because as I love you and you love me,

We both realize we're home.

There's nowhere to go.

And there's no reason to judge you or me.

That loving feels so amazing.

Why would I want to have my body feel judgment?

Because when we're judging others,

Who's feeling the judgment?

You are.

You're feeling what that feels like in your body.

Because if they love themselves,

You can judge them all day long and they're not going to be bothered.

So the only one that feels your judgment of others is yourself.

And wouldn't you rather feel the love that you are?

Because you could roll in that all day long.

And you just feel that.

And it doesn't take a thousand years.

And it doesn't take hours and hours of meditating.

Though I'll say,

You know,

That doesn't hurt you to do.

Anytime you quiet yourself and feel the real you is meditation.

And you can do that while you're driving.

You can do that while you're sipping coffee.

You can do it while you do anything.

That meditation doesn't have to be sitting on a pillow.

It's just communion and union with who you are.

And if you're meditating to talk to some guru or some thing outside of yourself,

Don't bother.

It's all you.

You're directly connected to source.

You're directly connected to all that is.

And you have the capacity to love yourself and everyone without judgment.

And it doesn't take you years to do it.

It just takes letting go of the mind.

And not in a way where you can't think thoughts.

You're always going to think thoughts.

It's just taking the time to let a voice that's in your own mind or someone speaking to you.

Let that voice just drift as you follow your breath into your center.

And feel that peace.

Feel that love.

And then whatever speaks.

A voice,

A thought,

A memory.

You're observing it.

You're recognizing it's an aspect of an experience.

But it's not you.

That you can fit worlds inside of you.

That you are always home.

It's not something you've got to search for.

It's who you allow yourself to be.

And as an extension of source on this planet.

You can fit worlds inside of you.

So let the mind run.

And smile at it.

Let it think it hasn't found you.

And love it.

Let it think it can't do it.

Of course it can.

It's not what's doing it.

All that is.

All that is,

Is you.

And you are the existence of love on this planet.

And therefore you will be successful.

It's just your mind catching up to what's already true.

Welcome home.

You haven't been anywhere.

Welcome home.

You're everything.

Welcome home.

And welcome all beings to be home.

With you.

In this loving space that you create.

I love you.

And thank you for loving me.