Celebrating Love
St. Valentine’s day has been celebrated since 496AD.
One legend associated with St. Valentine is that he was martyred for marrying couples ( in secret) at a time when Emperor Claudius demanded that men remain single so that they could fight in the army. Love, in this context, is truly radical – it may be hard to imagine today, but there was a time when it was forbidden to allow men and women to declare their love and commitment to one another. As part of this story it is said that in order “to remind these men of their vows and God’s love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment” and giving them to these persecuted Christians – a tradition that continues to this day.
When I was living in Dublin, my family used to visit the Carmelite church called “White Friar Street” because of the white habit of the priests who were part of the Carmelite order. This order take their name from “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” in Israel. There is a relic of St. Valentine enshrined in that beautiful church and well worth a visit if you are in Dublin city.
In a world where men and women are considered as ‘objects’ – this radical potential of Love is a perennial call to noble deeds, vision and divine goodness. Love is the power to sacrifice. If we can befriend Love we can also make room in our hearts for sister qualities of compassion, patience, kindness, goodness and charity.
Radical Love
Celebrating St. Valentine’s Day
A nourishing class of Kundalini Yoga, Meditation and Music
The Powerful Force of Love
has spiritual roots :
Love is the opposite of Fear
To be able to open our hearts to love we need strong foundations in the lower three chakras :
the root chakra – associated with survival and security, the sacral chakra- associated with emotion and creativity and the solar plexus- our willpower.
- Do we feel safe and secure- are our basic needs met- can we trust?
- Are we able to feel our emotions and stay in touch with how we feel?
- How is our self-esteem?
To be able to open our heart and maintain successful relationships, we need a good foundation in self esteem and a sense of self-worth – otherwise we may find ourselves looking to our partners to make us secure, bolster our ego or interpret our feelings. Once we ourselves have a strong foundation within or own wholeness, we are able to open our hearts ; rather than being a hungry ghost we can nourish that love that endures within our own being and from that place of completeness – share our love with others.
Another challenge on the path of Love is getting stuck in one of the lower chakras . It is possible to get stuck in the sacral chakra if orientated towards sexuality alone , for example. In that state of consciousness, it will be very difficult to sustain healthy long lasting love relationships. One must climb the inner ladder of consciousness from the pleasure of the sacral chakra, through to the will-power and commitment of the fiery, powerful and purifying solar plexus. From there, we can affirm the qualities that enable us to sustain commitment and compassion both for self and other and grow in love as we move with honour into the radiant Heart.
This class is an introduction to a process of healing through each of the lower chakras, and issues associated with each one, so that we can build a firm foundation for the flow of Love within ourselves, and our world.
Love, as a divine Gift that brings us into relationship with the beauty and abundance of the cosmos.
This class is taught via zoom and will include, visualisation, chanting, breath work, kundalini yoga, meditation and deep relaxation – all are welcome, both single and couples.
A special Valentine’s day class
to celebrate and cultivate our capacity for
Love and nourish our hearts
February 14th
7-8.30 pm
15 euros /
8 euros unwaged
(via paypal : snicuilibin@gmail.com)
Le Grá : with Love
Please note:
- Never practice Kundalini Yoga or Meditation under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- If you are taking prescription medication it is advised to check in with your healthcare provider
- There are some limitations for pregnant women or during your period – ie. do not do breath of fire or put undue pressure on the abdomen.
