“Your Daily Dose” is a quick two minute read packed with bite-sized wisdom from all the great teachers. But you could also choose to turn it into something more… a powerful daily practice for personal growth. Give it a try!
A message from today’s meditation:
A beautiful image that emerges from today’s meditation: feeling ourselves breathing in unison with “all living brothers and sisters.” This powerful sense of connection serves as a potent reminder that love is not just an emotion we experience with romantic partners; it’s the very essence of our existence, the thread that binds us to all living things.
For me one of the biggest lessons on love were the words of Rumi:
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against love.” – Rumi
For various reasons we might have built our own inner walls against love, not because we don’t want to feel love but because there were other things – that were painful – that we didn’t want to feel. But our hearts don’t work this way, we can’t close our heart to only some things and keep it open to others, we either live with our hearts wide open feeling everything, or our hearts slowly keep closing until we feel nothing. Very often this leads to a belief that, “I am not worthy of being loved” or “I am unlovable,” which are walls built against love, and so difficult to break down.
Today’s meditation doesn’t specifically lead you to break any inner barriers, but it’s a gentle journey of opening your heart. And if you take yourself on this journey again and again, there will eventually come a shift in what your heart is able to feel.
Many teachers speak of how one possible path to becoming unstuck is to bring our attention to our hearts and here is this morning’s reminder from Jack Kornfield:
“If you want to love, take the time to listen to your heart. In most ancient and wise cultures it is a regular practice for people to talk to their heart. There are rituals, stories, and meditative skills in every spiritual tradition that awaken the voice of the heart. To live wisely, this practice is essential, because our heart is the source of our connection to and intimacy with all of life. And life is love. This mysterious quality of love is all around us, as real as gravity… Yet how often we forget about love.” – Jack Kornfield
And then this quote by Jack feels just like today’s meditation:
“When you quiet your mind, you can feel yourself breathing with all living brothers and sisters on this beautiful blue-green Earth. This is our family to care for. When we remember it’s ‘us’, love and generosity becomes as natural as our breath.” – Jack Kornfield
Here are some guiding mantras to carry with you on this journey of opening your heart:
- I choose to soften the walls I’ve built around my heart.
- I am worthy of love and connection.
- My heart is a source of love for myself and the world around me.
- With each breath, I connect with the vastness of life and love.
- Today, I choose love.
Opening your heart is a continuous process, a journey with its own unique challenges and rewards. By taking these steps, you can dismantle the walls that have kept you separate from love’s embrace. Remember, a heart that is open is a heart that is truly alive.
I hope you join us in today’s circle, and also I hope you have a great weekend!
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Sharing Love.
Today’s LIVE meditation
https://youtu.be/oAa8Ob2xyWI 2025
https://youtu.be/0vg3z0TBI78 2023
https://youtu.be/sJy3RWj620w 2022
Practice the “Daily Dose”
Let’s put it into practice! Choose what works for you – daily, once a week or whenever inspiration strikes. Putting pen to paper wires the neural pathways that will create your new habits.
1 – Affirmation
Write down your favourite affirmation on a sticky note and place it somewhere that you’ll be able to see it the whole day.
- I choose to soften the walls I’ve built around my heart.
- I am worthy of love and connection.
- My heart is a source of love for myself and the world around me.
- With each breath, I connect with the vastness of life and love.
- Today, I choose love.
2 – A moment of reflection
Use today’s question as a journal prompt. If you don’t have the time to sit down and write, just take a moment to reflect on your response.
The meditation focuses on “feeling ourselves breathing in unison with ‘all living brothers and sisters.'” What emotions or sensations arise within you when you contemplate this interconnectedness? How does this idea of shared breath and universal family shift your perspective on your place in the world and your responsibility towards others and the planet?
3 – Quotes to share
Send a quote to someone who needs it, or share them all on social media to spread the good vibes!
4 – Q&A for deeper learning
Read through the questions and answers and write down at least one “aha moment” that clicked for you.
1. The article mentions building “inner walls” against love. What does this mean?
Building “inner walls” against love, as described in the article, refers to the defense mechanisms we develop, often unconsciously, to protect ourselves from emotional pain. These walls aren’t necessarily a conscious decision to avoid love, but rather a byproduct of trying to avoid past hurts. However these walls can inadvertently block us from experiencing love and connection.
2. Why might someone build these inner walls?
People might build these walls for various reasons, often stemming from past painful experiences. The article suggests it’s not because we don’t want to feel love, but because we want to avoid the pain we’ve previously encountered. Unfortunately, our hearts tend to either be open to all feelings or gradually close off, making it difficult to selectively block only negative emotions.
3. Rumi’s quote suggests we need to find barriers within ourselves. What kind of barriers might these be?
The barriers within ourselves, according to the article’s interpretation of Rumi, could include beliefs like “I am not worthy of being loved” or “I am unlovable.” These are deeply ingrained negative self-perceptions that act as obstacles to receiving and giving love.
4. The meditation is described as a “gentle journey of opening your heart.” How can simply focusing on breathing in unison with others help with this?
Focusing on breathing in unison with all living beings can foster a powerful sense of connection and shared humanity. This awareness can gently soften the feeling of separateness that might contribute to the inner walls. By recognizing our interconnectedness, the boundaries around our hearts may naturally begin to feel less rigid.
5. Jack Kornfield emphasizes listening to our hearts. How can we practically do this?
According to the article, ancient and wise cultures have various rituals, stories, and meditative skills to awaken the voice of the heart. Practically, this could involve taking quiet time for reflection, practicing mindfulness or meditation focused on the heart space, or engaging in activities that bring you joy and a sense of inner peace.
6. The article offers guiding mantras. How can these help in opening our hearts?
The guiding mantras, such as “I choose to soften the walls I’ve built around my heart” and “I am worthy of love and connection,” serve as affirmations that can help to reprogram negative thought patterns and cultivate a more open and receptive attitude towards love. Repeating these mantras can reinforce the intention to dismantle inner barriers.
7. Is opening your heart a one-time event, or is it an ongoing process?
The article explicitly states that “opening your heart is a continuous process, a journey with its own unique challenges and rewards.” It’s not a destination to be reached, but rather an ongoing practice of softening, connecting, and allowing ourselves to feel fully.