The Most Powerful Thing

In the past couple days, I have been pondering the concept of "power".  What is the most powerful thing?

Love.

Love is the most powerful thing.  In the world, the universe, the multiverses and whatever lies beyond. Love, without any other motivation.  Just pure, unconditional love (which is actually more rare than one would hope).

Why love?

Think about unconditional love. It is ceaseless, timeless, boundless. It is not logical.  Perhaps deeply biological, but not logical.

That love is so incredibly powerful.  By loving unconditionally, a person doesn't have any expectations or desires of the other person.

The traditional route to power - hatred and oppression - leads to rebellion.  But who would rebel against love?

Imagine if you truly loved every single human on this planet. Yes, there would be the handful of people who may want to take advantage of that love, but most people would eventually love you back.  And if (almost) every person on this planet loves you... what could be more powerful than that?  You would never be homeless or hungry.

You would never be in need of a single thing.

Imagine if every being on this planet loved one another. There would be no suffering at the hands of man.

And here's the twist...By loving, you have no desire for power.  That disregard for control - the lack of want or expectation - is the most powerful thing.

Loving My Body

Honor yourself as a unique expression of the universe. 

This isn't a direct quote, but it is my interpretation of an idea found in the book Yoga From the Inside Out: Making Peace With Your Body Through Yoga. The book was given to me by my dear friend, Ally.  I have struggled with different kinds of eating disorders for over a decade, something I have in common with the author of the book. 

I started reading the book at Ojo Caliente, a mineral springs resort.  I thought it was a wonderful place to begin my journey toward self-love and acceptance of my body.  At Ojo Caliente, hundreds of visitors pass through, and almost everybody is wearing just a bathing suit. 

Normally, in that situation, I would compare my body to every other female's body.  To me, that is normal.  However, Yoga from the Inside Out celebrates individuality and urges us not to become too attached to our bodies.

My healthy body takes me to beautiful places. 

To accept my body, fully, is difficult.  In addition to issues with my weight, I have always wanted to be shorter, taller, have better hair, better eyesight, better skin...etc.  But wanting these things doesn't mean I will have them.  All it means is I will spend time that I could be happy wanting something that is impossible. 

"Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside." Hugh Macleod

There is no such thing as perfection.  Perfection is always relative. The perception of beauty will always be in the eye of the beholder.  Real beauty radiates from the inside. Negativity, toward others or the self, displaces the potential for more love and beauty in any moment. 

After reading Yoga from the Inside Out, I want to have a healthy and realistic view of my body.  It's still a very conscious effort for me, but I have noticed in the past month, I have been more relaxed about the way I look.  It hasn't changed the way I look on the outside, but has increased my sense of peace on the inside.

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.-Teilhard de Chardin