Yoga Reminder: Lightened Reflections

To define pranayama as “breath control” is like defining meditation as “mind control.” Meditation cannot be forced by repressing the thoughts in the mind. Neither can pranayama be forced by trying to control the breath.

Devotion also requires our effort; we must nurture it, embody it, envision it, and embrace it. No

From steadiness arises the possibility of holding to positivity. A scattered mind cannot stay focused on a positive goal.

The point underlying the anjali mudra in all contexts is developing the sense of humility and reducing the ego.

Discipline and wisdom in practice determine the quality of the disciple and his progress in yoga,

Balance and clarity are a state of mind; they do not arise from the objects we come in contact with. They arise because of our minds’ response to such contact.

That synergy of the inner and outer experience leading us toward well-being, not the form of the posture, is the hallmark of the ideal asana.

For asanas to be a powerful agent of transformation, we must do them not purely from the force of habit but with a stream of awareness.

The real art of creating a right practice is not only to include the right postures in the right place, but to leave the wrong ones out.