The New York Times bestselling author and a central figure in the field of meditation, Sharon Salzberg, uses ancient Buddhist wisdom to redefine love and experience it in a more profound way. We all yearn for connection, yet often feel trapped by our sense of isolation, anger, envy, and other forms of aversion. Ultimately, our minds get in the way of this yearning, as we spin stories and assumptions around in our heads that keep us feeling alienated from one another. However, in Real Love, bestselling author and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg will teach you to redefine and open up the limited definitions of "love" and experience it in a more essential way. This book provides a pathway towards a more sustainable and authentic model of love by offering a creative toolkit of mindfulness exercises, meditation techniques, and interactive applications that will guide readers through the process of stripping away layers of habit to find a truer meaning of love, to "real love." The book is divided into four sections, each addressing a distinct experience of "real love" love for the self, love for another individual, love for all beings, and love for life itself Working from the inside out, the first step on the journey is to learn to love yourself; only then will you be able to share your love with the rest of the world. As you work through each layer you will become more present and adapt to things as they actually are. And it is only when we are truly engaged with present experiences that we not only are able to feel more connected to our own core selves, but also to those around us.