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Real Love Starts with You
Sharon Salzberg
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What You’ll Learn
- Discover love as a capacity that can never be taken away from you
- Understand why self compassion is integral to experiencing real love and connection
- Join in a guided practice for receiving loving-kindness for yourself
About Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness practices to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first began teaching. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA and the author of ten books including NY Times bestseller, Real Happiness, her seminal work, Lovingkindness, and Real Love, her new release by Flatiron Books. Acclaimed for her humorous, down-to-earth teaching style, Sharon offers a secular, modern approach to Buddhist teachings, making them instantly accessible. She is a regular columnist for On Being, a contributor to Huffington Post, and the host of her own podcast: The Metta Hour.
To learn more about Sharon Salzberg visit her website here.
To check out Sharon’s new book Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection, click here.
About Susan Piver
Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including The Hard Questions, the award-winning How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life, and The Wisdom of a Broken Heart. Her new book is Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation. She is also founder of the Open Heart Project, an international online mindfulness community with close to 20,000 members.
Found more information on her events, books, classes, and more here.
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What do you think?
Leave a comment below.
I think Sharon is beautiful
.
Sharon’s beingness(mindfulness) is so evident to me when I listen to her. Such an example of compassion , inner peace . A joy to spent time with. Thanks to her.
To see as well as to criticize Sharon as well as anyone adds to our illusion of separateness. We are all part of the same fabric of life.
Literally hurts my heart to read such a mean-spirited comment! Sharon has helped so many people with her teachings. Every person is beautiful in their own way. Whoever wrote that comment should try practicing loving kindness.
Sharon, thank you so much for taking the time to delve into self love, it is so surprising that it is so difficult, if we feel this way we are full of ourselves, right? But, you have raised such a valid point, if you look for love from outside yourself, you may or may not get it. There is only one person in the world that you have influence on, and that is yourself. We must give ourselves permission to say, I’m a good person, and all is okay. Such simple things to say, but it is so true, being healthy, being happy, free from suffering and at peace. How much of our world would love to have these attributes? Let alone us, who have so much in this country. Thank you for all of your loving kindness meditation work, and your speaking for everyone out there who is searching for the powerful spiritual connection. Thank you!
Thank you so much. Self compassion and self love is so important, yet so difficult. I had never done a loving kindness meditation like she did tonight, and I loved it. It was very powerful. Thank you.
Thank you Sharon. Your presentation was so nurturing and encouraging. You made love seem like an actual possibility that we each are able to work with rather than a strong longing that so often seems just out of reach. May we all find the way to bring more love into each of our lives through our practice and may the world be a better place with our collective efforts.
Sharon’s growth is about her mind and spirit. Not about her body. She is an understanding teacher of the heart.
Mind is not separate from body. If the community really cared about Sharon, they would want to help her. Wouldn’t iou want to help a chain smoker? In the same way, She’s setting herself up for extremely serious health problems.
Really ? This is what you take from this ? Sorry , but I work in healthcare for a prestigious hospital and let me tell you being is NOT the only measurement of health. I have patients that are thin and still have a boat load of health problems and vice versa. Try practicing compassion and actually focus on what is being said , so you can help yourself.
I have gained so much from Sharon’s work. This conversation helps remind me of all the ways she gently nudged me to go a little deeper with my self-acceptance and self-love…never an easy environment for me to work in. 🙂 I absolutely LOVED her guided meditation. My benefactor is someone who instantly makes me smile, it was so easy to offer him loving-kindness, and then to have all that energy at the ready to turn back to myself was something new. I don’t think I’m overstating this, that little talk just moved me off a plateau.
So real and connected. Thank you. Especially the words about self compassion.
I am having a somewhat difficult time following the discussion because both the sound and video are a bit “jumpy”, not smooth. Is anyone else experiencing this? I have not noticed it with any of the other videos in these first two days.
yes, this one was a bit jumpy on my computer too.
Okay…thanks for the response. I thought it was perhaps some wackiness with my lPad.
It was glitchy for me too.
The meditation was very powerful and helpful and immediately brought new life and meaning into the metta practice I have been doing dutifully for years. Sharon’s gift of teaching the Dharma is so real and accessible that it resonates with a resounding ring in my heart.
Ellen, as a doctor, I have never met anyone who’s body does not fit our societal idea of health that is not acutely aware of it, and there is a great deal of judgement levied at them regularly. If we all had to meet each other’s expectations in order to share our insights and gifts, no one would be able to do it! This offering is something you can take or leave personally, but I do not think it was an invitation to criticize. I for one find Sharon’s courage to share herself in the face of so much societal pressure to fit into it’s idea of who she should be inspiring for all of us to share ourselves even if judged. Sister, I will choose to think your comments were an effort to say you care– and, issues of health are private and dealt with in people’s personal lives, in their own time and way, it is not at all easy and I’m sorry that it’s a stumbling block for you being able to enjoy this meditation and teacher’s offering to you. Peace.
Thanks for this wonderful video of Sharon Salzburg sharing about this complex topic – ? LOVE !!
I will practice letting go and allow me to receive the feelings of safe, healthy, happy and ease. Thank You, Sharon Salzberg
Last year, I gained 30 pounds in a little under 7 weeks. This was due to medications orescribed for anxiety and depression incurred while caring for my mother, whose PTSD from severe torture had been triggered and was taking a great deal of time to resolve. Thus represented a 30 percent weight gain for me. To my great surprise, many of the supportive women at my all-female gym became extremely critical of me. One instructor stopped a class to loudly ask whether I was pregnant. Another group of classmates chastised me for my lack of character and commitment to the class. The assumptions fuelling the speculations and public criticisms hurt me very much at a vulnerable time in my family’s life and took me by surprise because that gym prided itself on supposedly being body-positive. I have since worked off all but the remaining 5 pounds of excess weight (although I felt too sad to remain a member of that gym), my mother is doing better, and I am deeply grateful that I am firtunate enough to no longer have to take medications that represented mental health self-care but that wreaked havoc with my metabolic processes. Others are not so lucky. One never knows the courageous struggles that others may be waging in the name of love. It is important to consider the possibility of many explanations for bodily conditions… and the possibility of love’s presence in all its hidden manifestations. Mine was excess weight. To me, it was the outer manifestation–however unexpected and unwanted–of my love and sacrifice during my struggle to help my mom.
Thank you for sharing this vulnerable time with us. I’m so sad you had to deal with all this pain.
I appreciate your dedication to helping others understand the benefits of opening the heart inward and outward towards the world.
Ellen — In addition to loving-kindness practice, you may find Byron Katie’s inquiry process helpful. Your comment is full of assumption and judgement — a great opportunity to question your thoughts. May you discover what is true, what is loving, and what is skillful. ❤
I believe you that you didn’t intend to be mean-spirited. But your comment WAS hurtful. Read it and imagine someone had written it to you. To discount Sharon’s message, her life work, because you don’t agree with her body somehow, seems very painful, mostly for you. It seems that you let your own feelings/judgements get in the way of actually hearing in your heart her message of love. I’m not judging you. We all do this in hundreds of ways, letting the filters in our minds of what we like/dislike/think/believe get in the way of being here now. This is part of our work, to see without all of that.
May you be happy. May you be free of suffering. May you be at ease. May you know peace and love.
Thank you Sharon for a very centering meditation ?♀️. Thanks hope your day is filled with safety-good health-and love -and ease ?.
Love. Not only giving. But receiving. Not only from others But from you’re self, to yourself. I’m all for more love love. Thank you.
I have learned so much from Sharon Salzberg the past couple of years, and she has given me so much to help me on the path toward mindfulness. I am so grateful for her insights and wisdom. Thank you.
Thank you, very very much Sharon Salzberg! To me you are the embodyment of Metta! A billion ‘Thank Yous’ för your dedication to sharing and teaching Brahma Viharas! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Perhaps we could make one focus of our lovingkindness meditation the pain of most people around body image. I doubt there’s a person reading this who hasn’t had to deal with the tyranny of our culture’s limiting “ideal body.” Perhaps we could send happiness and lovingkindness to all people (and ourselves!) around this issue which has wounded so many.
Thank you Sharon,
That was really uplifting,
Thank you Sharon for sharing you insights and light sense of humor. I enjoyed your talk immensely and will work on loving myself more so there is more love to share.
Thank you for this talk on real love and loving kindness. I loved what you said about stretching yourself, it takes a lot to be able to know your limits and then gently push through. I’m trying to work on my history of anxiety and agoraphobia with exposure therapy, so I could understand how it could apply to other areas. It was the first time I’ve done a loving kindness meditation where the benefactor returns the wishes to me, it was positively beautiful.
Thank you Sharon for reinforcing that “Love is a part of my being” Metta, and the practice of mindful meditation, and the realization of love, and kindness, 1st towards our selves …..In my belief is that one can only love an other, after learning to love ones self !! With the practice of love,and kindness, I have found that I’m one of the 1st. benefactors……
Thank you Sharon for guiding me to real love. I spent a year focused on lovingkindness practice after listening to your teachings and felt a complete transformation of how I respond to myself and to others, especially when I am triggered. i felt a lot of fear and disconnection before. I read your books Faith and Real Love and learned lovingkindness from you on the 10% Happier app and in person at a weekend retreat at 1440. I am so grateful for your loving presence. You have helped me be gentle with myself and others with life as it is. I have more courage to be who I am and be with all that life sends my way because of my practice. Thank you for being you!
Thanks so much Sharon for the simple presentation and practice. I very much liked the interesting additions in this video compared to previous programmes. Loving kindness is a skill and a capacity is new to me. Compassion, peace and kindness are well reflected in your face and voice. What a blessing, to have a 40 years experience as a practitioner and a teacher. You wl be blessed for this work! Much Metta
Thank you, Sharon. Your warm smile feels like a practice in itself.
[From Putter, in Cape Town]
Thank you Sharon, I always love listening to you talk.
This was an extremely helpful interview for me. Thank you for your work, your insights, your friendliness. I love the suggested gifts to offer oneself and others. They all seem to add up to the gift of peace.
So grateful that this is available to us. Thank you Sharon for your many gifts which you share so kindly. I especially loved the loving kindness practice at the end, for others and towards oneself.
Sharon Salzburg, you are so beautiful, so healing, so kind.I am grateful for your humility which is an incredible role modeling. Ms. Moderator, whose name I lost instantly, your gentleness, honesty, and presence are a gift as well. Put the two of you together and you create a field of love, of compassion, and of kindness. My intention on waking today was to remember love. You gave that multiplied and intensified. Thank you!