Giving And Receiving More Love

I’d like to share with you my experience of the Law of Giving and Receiving, The Second Spiritual Law of Yoga as outlined by Deepak Chopra. The essence of this law is that we and the world around us are in a constant flow of giving and receiving.

One of the best examples of the Law of Giving and Receiving is our breath. When you inhale, you are receiving. When you exhale, you are giving it back. It’s a constant balance, a back and forth, a life flow of breath.

So how can this law be applied to love? Here are some examples from my life:

As much as I enjoy coaching women, being with my friends and family, and working with my team, I’m an introvert. That means I gain energy and re-balance myself by having personal, quiet time.

In my past, I’ve let the fact that I am introverted be an excuse to be less outgoing, which is like holding back love, or not being in the flow of giving.

For example, when I was at the grocery store, I wouldn’t be very talkative to the clerk. I might not have even smiled. I would get into a habit of crossing things off my to-do list: “I need to do this, and then I need to do that. I need to be here, then I need to go there.” As I rushed around “getting things done,” I wasn’t giving love or warmth to the people I came in contact with.

Once I realized this, I committed to being more loving towards others. And not just my immediate family and friends and the people I work with every day, but to EVERYONE.

Could I actually smile to my bank clerk? Could I have more conversations in the grocery line? Since I have two little boys who are really cute and like to converse with others, could I allow or even invite them to do so more reguarly? Could I leave everyone I encounter with some love and warmth from me? Of course I could!

I also thought about how I could give more love within my marriage.

My husband is a morning person. As soon as he gets up in the morning, he hits the ground running and is all happy and smiley, whistling and bouncing all over the place.

That’s definitely not me. I get up, go to my office, and meditate. I drink a cup of coffee and stay very quiet until the morning has made its way through me.

I realized, in order to give more love to my husband (so that I could then receive more love), I had to make more of an effort to meet him where he’s at.

So I become very mindful about how I am with him in the morning. I actually added, “I contribute to peaceful mornings together,” to my daily affirmation! I don’t have to whistle while I get ready and mirror him exactly. But I can share more love in my authentic way, because it means a lot to him.

I make sure that I lean over before I get up and give him a kiss or say I love you. I do little actions like put my hand on his shoulder while he’s brushing his teeth or pause to give him a hug in the middle of the kitchen. I try to avoid any intense conversations or family management discussions in the morning, as I know he likes to keep things positive to set the tone for the rest of his day.

These are little shifts, but they gave more love to him, and I’ve seen it come back around for me to receive it. (As I am editing this article now in the present day, my husband now makes coffee for me most mornings, even though he’s an espresso drinker and doesn’t drink the coffee himself. As we are loving and peaceful to one another, our boys play off that contributing to more peaceful mornings all around.)

My challenge for you is to think about where you’re holding back love, and why. And how you can start giving more.

It might be with the person you run into at the store that you’ll never see again. It might be with the customer service agent on the phone. It might be with your spouse or your children or your co-workers.

The most effective way that I get results to my inquiry is to journal out the questions. The act of putting pen to paper forces us to get clear. It’s a healthy process for realization.

Where are you holding back love?

Where can you give more love, even if just little shifts?

The more concrete you get and the more you identify specifics, the easier it will be for you to remember your commitments and take action.

Cheers to giving and receiving more love!

[activecampaign form=5]