Cultivating loving kindness for ourselves is the foundation of real love for our friends and family, for new people we encounter in our daily lives, for all beings and for life itself.

Real forgiveness in close relationships is never easy. It can’t be rushed or engineered.

We nurture our sense of connection with the larger whole, noticing that the whole is only as healthy as its smallest part.

When we constantly hear that we should be smarter, better connected, more productive, wealthier—it takes real courage to claim the time and space to follow the currents of our talents, our aspirations, and our hearts, which may lead in a very different direction.

The skills available to us through mindfulness make it possible to bring love to our connections with others.

Whether we fear the existence of boundaries with others or crave more of them, there’s no denying that individuation and separation are inevitable parts of loving relationships that become the site of tension.