Happy February, love month, and Black History Month to you. I pray that you have entered this time of your life with peace and love surrounding you. February is one of my favorite months because it holds my favorite day: Love Day. A day also called, “Valentine’s,” but one that has always been special to me because of the emphasis on love. A day where everybody is talking about love?!?! Means everything to a little love bug like me.
Growing up, Valentine’s having a sole intention of romance was not taught, instead there was an understanding of community love. I can remember always gathering with friends and family on love day, sharing our sentiments of love verbally and through writings, having group dinners and parties, and my favorite: poetry nights at the apartment (college was so good). Not only was I taught to love on my family, friends, and community, I was raised with the emphasis of loving myself deeply, first and foremost. The intersection of Love Day being in Black History Month also made celebrating my love of being a Black woman even more special. Finally, I was taught to celebrate the love I have with and for God on Love Day. Again, not as a replacement for any relationship that was “missing” but as a integral part of my ability to love. A love that draws all love unto me. The greatest love. Deep gratitude to my mama for raising me this way and for the community of family and friends who created the foundation of my understanding of communal care.
This Love Day I woke up with joy in my spirit, and joy jumping all over me in the form of puppy Toni :-) I took in a breath of gratitude and was immediately drawn towards my yoga mat and the thought, I must do a Love Day flow. I need to embody and radiate the love within and around. I must call it in and send it out. Kirk Franklin’s “Love” kept repeating in my head, and as soon as I was able to get back into my room after feeding the dog, I rolled out my mat, put the song on repeat and sat, breathing in as the song began...
Love, a word that comes and goes,
but few people really know what it means to really love somebody.
Love though the tears may fade away, I’m so glad your love will stay,
cause I love you and you’ve shown me Jesus what it really means to love.
I slowly began lifting my heart space with the inhale, arching my back, raising my crown and my eyes with awe. Filling up with all the love that God has for me. I exhaled, curling inward, holding that love in my entire body. I continued my practice, slowly moving through cat cow, lifting my arms, bringing attention to my legs, then at some point, moving from table top to downward facing dog, and up to tadasana.
Standing in that mountain pose, basking in the fullness of Gods love for me, in the fullness of the love others have for me, in the fullness of the love that I have for myself. As the song continued and I moved through my salutation and warrior flow, I began to see images of those who love me.
The nights when I cried, you loved me.
I saw my mother rocking me as a crying baby, reliant on her sustenance and willingness to love me.
I saw my sister who once crawled into bed with me after a breakup and held me, crying alongside me.
I saw Nyia, my first dog daughter, letting me hold her as I cried night after night during the worst bouts of depression.
When I should have died you loved me.
I saw my family waiting for me after emergency surgery. I saw the church family who brought groceries and meals to us for months.
I saw myself, rising again in the darkness like the phoenix, determined, resolute that I would live beyond my worst days. Reminding all versions of myself that she is loved and that I got her, no matter what, regardless* (word to Alice Walker’s definition of womanism).
When all hope was gone, you loved me. You gave me a song that you love me.
I saw the moments after conflict with every person who committed to showing up again with me. To create a new song with me. To start a new path with me.
Now I can go on because you love me.
I am fueled by love. Everything that I do is because of love and to create more love. I am able to be who I am because of the love I have for myself, the love God has for me, and the love others have for me. I affirmed this reality as I moved across my mat, inhaling love, exhaling love, visualizing the future to come because of love.
As I continued my flow, I added Kirk Franklin’s “He Loves Me” to the mix, affirming the freedom that I have because I am loved and I am called, which I am so grateful for. Being called means I am known, and being known means I am never alone.
Suddenly my spirit leaped and I heard “This Will Be An Everlasting Love” by Natalie Cole so I put it on and danced around my mat joyfully the way I hope to be dancing on Love Day next year with my partner, calling in an everlasting love, a joyful love, the kinda love that rests heavy in my spirit. The kind of love I’m on an intentional journey towards co-creating with somebody beautiful.
I closed out my flow with a deep bow of gratitude for all that has been, all that is, and all that will be in love.
This ritual of embodying, expressing, radiating, calling in, and sending out love is a precious ritual that can be engaged at any moment, wherever you are.
I am curious about what you are opening your heart to this season. What rituals are connecting you with God, self, and those you love? I’d love to hear in the comments or over on twitter.
Always remember,
You are loved.
Thanks for reading ❤️
*Regardless is a nod to Alice Walker’s’ definition of Womanism in which she states: “3. Loves music. Loves dance. Loves the moon. Loves the Spirit. Loves love and food and roundness. Loves struggle. Loves the Folk. Loves herself. Regardless.”
This is so lovely. 🥹