What is Love?

How do you know when you’re experiencing love?

 (Painting by Gaia Orion)

You feel more spacious and light.

You feel more joy and delight.

You feel more openness and comfort.

There may be a warm sensation in your chest.

You may feel more ease and flow.

It’s easier to access more love when love begins.

You want good things for other people.

Love is always about win-win.

The essence is connection and freedom.

When you lead from love, what follows is love. 

Love is often defined through a romantic lens, and yet, the truth is, love is all around us all the time. Love is inside us all of the time. 

When I ask clients how they define love and experience it, they say things like, "It's comfort." Or, "It's a warm hug." Or, "It's being accepted for who I am." Or, "It's being able to depend on someone."

What if you were to experience love as an essence, always accessible to you, within you? 

Try it.

* Bring to mind a time when you felt love. It need not be romantic. It could be with a pet, a child, a friend, or in the midst of nature. Focus on your heart. Putting your hand there can help remind you of where to bring your attention.

You might experience a warmth or tingling in your chest. Or, a spaciousness and an ability to breathe more deeply.

Take a deep breath. And, some more.

Allow yourself to relax into this feeling, fully for at least 5 minutes, breathing into the warmth and spaciousness. Allowing it to flow throughout your body. Relax into it. You deserve this.

This is love! 

This is at the core of your true nature.

When you know that love is always inside you, does this change how you view it?

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Dr. Heather Schwartz is an Integrative psychologist in Portland, Oregon who delights in working with kind and expressive people who want to experience greater inspiration, joy, and connection in their lives.

* This exercise is drawn in part from the HeartMath Institute and Dr. John Welwood's work on love.