LOVE - The Practice of Letting Go
Exploring the yogic understanding of love - from attachment to liberation, and how Maitrī can become a living practice on and off the mat.
It is not what we perceive that binds us, but our clinging to it that creates attachment, tension, and suffering.
Cutting through this clinging is a path to freedom.
This teaching is often explored in relation to the sense of self - the identity we construct and protect, believing it to be solid, permanent, and unchanging.
But let’s take a step back and look at it through another lens - the lens of love.
The Meaning Beneath the Word
In Tibetan, the word Ninduk translates to romantic love. Tibetan, like Sanskrit, is a language steeped in spiritual precision - every word carries layers of meaning.
The root Duk, found within Ninduk, connects directly to the Pali word dukkha — suffering.
At first, this might sound unsettling. After all, love is often seen as the ultimate source of joy and fulfillment. Yet when we look closely, we begin to see how romantic love — in its conditioned form - can be interwoven with expectation, longing, and the desire for reciprocation.
We may unconsciously turn love into a kind of transaction, creating a sense of ownership or control. Love becomes defined not by its giving, but by what we hope to receive.
And this clinging - subtle or obvious - is often what creates suffering.
Looking Closer
So how do you express love?
How do you translate love into action?
Does it carry an expectation - spoken or silent?
Is there something you’re hoping for in return?
These are not questions meant to shame, but to awaken. Because when we begin to notice the shape of our love - where it tightens, where it grasps - we open the door to something more spacious.
A Love That Is Free
There is a profound shift in asking:
Can I give love that is generous, open, and free?
A love that isn’t transactional, not based on an unspoken contract of “I’ll love you if you love me back.”
Can we cultivate love simply because it is our nature to love?
To love without needing anything in return doesn’t mean to deny our emotions or ignore our needs. It means approaching love with a lighter touch - one that doesn’t grasp, demand, or define.
It’s a practice of allowing love to be what it truly is:
A flowing, ever-renewing presence, not something to possess or control.
When Love Becomes Liberation
What happens when we offer love with openness and freedom?
When we love without seeking validation, without needing love to look or feel a certain way?
Perhaps in that space, love transforms - from something that binds, to something that liberates.
From something that feeds our ego, to something that feeds our spirit.
This is not an easy path. But it is one worth walking.
Because when love is freed from clinging, it becomes one of the most expansive, transformative forces in our lives.
A Mantra for Loving-Kindness
मङ्गलं भगवन् ब्रह्मा मङ्गलं गौतमो मुनीः।
मङ्गलं पुण्डरीकाक्षो मङ्गलाय तनुः हरिः॥
Maṅgalaṁ Bhagavān Brahmā, Maṅgalaṁ Gautamo Munīḥ,
Maṅgalaṁ Puṇḍarīkākṣo, Maṅgalāya Tanuḥ Hariḥ.
Translation:
Blessings from the divine Brahma, blessings from the sage Gautama,
Blessings from the lotus-eyed one (Vishnu), whose form is auspicious and brings peace.
This mantra embodies the essence of Maitrī - loving-kindness.
A love that is expansive, unconditional, and free from expectation.
Chanting this mantra at the beginning or end of practice can open an energetic space of compassion and softness - a reminder that love, in its truest form, does not bind; it liberates.
Love not because you must.
Love because it is your nature.
Love because it sets you free.