Hello February 2025
If you’re in the US, you’ve probably noticed all the Valentine’s Day paraphernalia around. Looking beyond the commercialization of love, I get the sense that people are craving love more than ever. In my yoga classes, I’ve been quoting B.K.S. Iyengar to remind students that love is an essential element of the practice. One of his powerful sayings is, “In yoga, three very important things must always be united in everything: love, knowledge, and action.” Whether you’re on the mat or off it, all three are necessary.
We often categorize different types of love: romantic, familial, self. But at its deepest level, love is consideration, attention. To intentionally direct your attention—whether to a person, an idea, or a task—is an act of love. When you focus your attention in this way, you’ve already begun to act, but with greater discernment. You become equipped to address needs, accomplish tasks efficiently, and enjoy the process.
It’s not just about seeing what needs to be done, but also knowing how to do it. This is where skill comes in. You bring your skill to the activity. For example, you might wish to play a particular piece of music, but if you’ve never played an instrument, you will need to learn. Initially, there is effort and clumsiness. As you acquire skill, you play with less effort.
Am I suggesting that everyone will eventually be able to play like Bach or stand on their head in Sirsasana with little effort? Not exactly. But when you develop the ability to perceive what needs to be done and how to do it, you can adapt and move with greater ease. Was your wish to create, move, learn? Whether it’s playing music or practicing yoga, you can adapt the activity to suit your body or your current skill level and still gain the benefit.
Love is an important element of this triad. Without love, knowledge can become abstract, disconnected from the heart, leading to insensitivity or disregard for life. Similarly, action can become aggressive or harmful without love. Injuries on the mat often happen because we’re inattentive or lack the knowledge of how to move properly. The same is true in life—without love, we can hurt ourselves and others. And when we act without regard for the earth and all its creatures, we cause harm.
This February might not be the most romantic month for you, and that’s fine. You can still celebrate love in its truest sense—as consideration and attention. By combining love with knowledge and action, we can live more ethically, more consciously, and more honestly.