Best 1455 quotes in «yoga quotes» category

Instead of asking, “How can I ease my suffering?” yoga would have us ask, “How can I better serve my brothers and sisters?” Because only in answering the latter can we hope to answer the former.

In the end, what I love most about contemporary yoga is its ability to synthesize the everyday with the extraordinary, the practical with the visionary, the mundane with the sacred. I love that yoga can work to release my tense muscles, negative emotions, and psychic detritus at the same time. That it can connect me to my body in ways that create new neural pathways in my brain. That it offers a practical tool for coping with everyday stress, as well as an intuitive opening to the hidden magic of everyday life.

I practice yoga to become flexible so I can adjust and adapt harmoniously.

I see a real yogi as a someone who is committed to growth and to being the best version of themselves, and, at the same time, is courageous enough to be fully present and authentic in each moment. Someone who is not afraid to get real about the whole mess of who they are - the good, the bad, and the ugly

It could be said that we become so much a stranger that we disappear and find ourselves reborn in the midst of humanity which is quite a paradox.

[I]t is important not to abandon the practice [of yoga] because we believe it is driven by the wrong motivation. The practice of yoga itself transforms. Yoga has a magical quality. . . . (20)

It is impossible to become the best version of yourself if you do not read, exercise, and meditate.

It is our job to follow the impulse, or vision, placed in our hearts at birth and then to release that impulse into the unseen hand of the Beloved for manifestation.

It is the very parts we perceive to be not-so-good that need our love the most. As it is only in love that what is hurting or what has been marginalized can be embraced, felt and transformed.

It may seem humble to belittle yourself, but it is every bit as arrogant as grandiosity. Just as it is impossible to be more than you were created to be, it is also impossible to be less. When we pretend to be more or less, we are destined to search for wholeness everywhere except where it actually resides—within.

It’s clear that if we use the mind attentively, mental power is increased, and if we concentrate the mind in the moment, it is easier to coordinate mind and body. But in terms of mind and body unity, is there something we can concentrate on that will reliably aid us in discovering this state of coordination? In Japan, and to some degree other Asian countries, people have historically focused mental strength in the hara (abdomen) as a way of realizing their full potential. Japan has traditionally viewed the hara as the vital center of humanity in a manner not dissimilar to the Western view of the heart or brain. I once read that years ago Japanese children were asked to point to the origin of thoughts and feelings. They inevitably pointed toward the abdominal region. When the same question was asked of American children, most pointed at their heads or hearts. Likewise, Japan and the West have commonly held differing views of what is physical power or physical health, with Japan emphasizing the strength of the waist and lower body and Western people admiring upper body power. (Consider the ideal of the sumo wrestler versus the V-shaped Western bodybuilder with a narrow waist and broad shoulders.) However, East and West also hold similar viewpoints regarding the hara, and we’re perhaps not as dissimilar as some might imagine. For instance, hara ga nai hito describes a cowardly person, “a person with no hara.” Sounds similar to our saying that so-and-so “has no guts,” doesn’t it?

...it's most important to accept that your yoga poses may not look like everyone else's. That's okay. Just adapt the poses to your current state of being.

It’s not just about recognizing how ‘precious’ every moment is, or about ‘living for today.’ It’s about finding the sacred center of now, and living there, moment to moment, always.

It's very simple. Keep your body as clean as possible, your mind as clear as possible. That's all you need. And do it in anyway you can, in your own way. It doesn't matter. That's why I say 'peaceful body, peaceful mind'. And then you'll be useful. You don't have to become a useful person. You will be useful.

It takes a lot of courage to be happy.

It takes patience to nurture patience.

... it was once necessary to proclaim the entire doctrine of Yoga in the fewest possible words.... I did so. “Sit still. Stop thinking. Shut up. Get out!” The first two of these instructions comprise the whole of the technique of Yoga. The last two are of a sublimity which it would be improper to expound in this present elementary stage.

Like the tightly closed eyelids of a child trying to escape the reprimand of a parent, there is a part of the mind that needs to shut down in the face of an internal dialogue that is steeped in guilt, shame, and self-loathing.

Magic is not something supernatural, but part of the field dynamics of nature.

Many believe bliss and gratification to be synonyms, when in fact they are antonyms. Bliss is the nature of your most true Self and it is with you anytime you become still enough to listen. Gratification is what you seek to fill the imagined emptiness, and is generated by a false sense of self.

Many look at the blessings in their lives—money, talent, love, abundance, and so on—and say, “I must be one of the chosen ones.”But the blessings in your life were not bestowed upon you to help you live a life of ease, but rather a life of service. You were chosen—chosen to serve.

Many of us attend a few yoga classes and find that we like the glimpse of another way of life that yoga offers. We are delighted by the way we feel after class and we are pleasantly surprised as certain behaviors start to fall away. Perhaps we no longer need coffee in the morning; or staying out late at night becomes less attractive; or we find ourselves calmer and more compassionate. Suddenly we're convinced that we've hit upon a painless way to solve all our problems. Sadly, this is not the case. Practice is not a substitute for the difficult work of renunciation. The postures and breath work that you do in a typical yoga class will change your life. These practices—asana and pranayama—suffuse us with the energy we need to take on the hard choices and to endure the inevitable highs and lows. What yoga practice will not do, however, is take the place of the hard lessons each of us has to learn in order to mature spiritually.

Marriage is never static. There are peaks and troughs, cycles. It is easy to forget that this shifting landscape is really only ever a reflection of the self. Our capacity for attachment determines the kind of mate we attract, and it is through this mate that we are forever transformed – marriage as alchemy, but also as a mirror.

Matter is a medium of communication between minds, and everything that exists in the mind can also exist in the body. Furthermore, the body—being the expression of a mental state is developed as a manifestation of the mind.

Maybe it’s something to do with the movements: the Cat and then the Cow, the twist to the left and then to the right, the reaching up, and then bending to the ground, the constant training of the body to move one way, and then to move in the opposite way. Hatha: sun, moon opposites, dark and light, yin and yang. This must be key in the way yoga shapes the mind and heart, in the way it helps one to understand that every movement has a counter movement, that every action has an opposing action, that the happy parts of life will be met by the sad, and the sad, in turn will be met by the happy.

Meditación - Antes de aprender cómo meditar, tienes que desaprender lo que crees que podría ser la meditación.

Meditation alone cannot heal the world, but it can and does speed up the healing process.

Meditation betters not only the mind but also the brain.

Meditation is the alchemist of the soul. It transforms disappointment into acceptance; betrayal into forgiveness; scarcity into abundance; loneliness into self acceptance; fear into love; despair into hope; anxiety into peace; and apathy into compassion.

Meditation is a method-less act – an act of contemplation – an act of being. And this contemplation or this being is not a buddhist thing, a hindu thing or a jewish thing – it is simply a human thing. No pranayama, vipassana or kabala has any kind of exclusive authority over meditation whatsoever. All these ways are merely the means of the novice to begin the journey. But the means is not the real act itself. Seeing the method of meditation as meditation itself, is like confusing the menu for the meal. The real journey takes place when there is no means whatsoever – when the self does not need to make efforts to be the self – that’s real meditation – the meditation where you simply are who you are and do not seek methods to attain a superficial state of mind.

Meditation is both the symbol and expression of our intention to grow. Sitting still, alone with our thoughts and feelings, we can honor missed opportunities, passing desires, remembered disappointments, as well as our inner strength, personal wisdom, and ability to forgive and love.

Meditation is preparing one hand for blessing the world and preparing the other hand for doing well-being of the world.

Meditation is a method-less act.

Meditation is experiencing the life not just from the surface but from the source.

Meditation is the best tool for neutralizing the voice in the head. It's a muzzle for the ego. Being mindful is an innate but underused ability we all have, the act of being aware without judging. When you repeatedly go through the cycle of trying to focus on your breath, losing that focus, and noticing and returning to the practice, you are literally building your mindfulness muscle the same way dumbbell curls build your biceps. As this mind-muscle develops, you start being way more aware of thoughts, emotions, and sensations as what they really are: squirts of chemicals & hormones that enter, peak and then fade completely back to the nothingness of which they arose. In other words, mindfulness provides space between impulse and action, so you're not a slave to whatever pops into your head. You are not your thoughts. You are the awareness of them.

Meditation is defined by not just the mode of thinking, but also the object of thought

Meditation on the self is the highest form of true method-less meditation, for it brings self-awareness – which is beyond the everyday joy and sorrow. True meditation does not put you in control of your sorrow, rather it takes your mind beyond that very sorrow, as well as joy, into the kingdom of contentment – a kingdom without ideology – without cognitive extremes, such as radical rationalism, radical romanticism or radical emotionalism. In that kingdom, you simply are a human, with no name, no nationality, no tradition, no culture, no religion, no gender and no social image – simply a human.

My mind has evolved from that of a child to that of an adult and passed through countless changes along the way. My heart has known great love, heartache, joy, and anger—it has shifted directions more often than the wind. My body began as two cells, has grown, aged, and passed through sickness and health. Even the face in my mirror is far different than the one that once stared back at me just a few months ago. But through this state of flux that has defined my life, there is a part of me that has been entirely the same throughout. This changeless part of me has sat quietly witnessing, at peace and smiling softly.

Na mitologia hindu, o despertar de Kali foi descrito em muitos detalhes. Quando Kali se ergue vermelha de raiva, todos os deuses e demônios ficam aturdidos e todo mundo fica em silêncio. Eles não sabem o que ela vai fazer. Eles pedem ao Senhor Shiva para pacificá-la, mas Kali ruge ferozmente jogando-o para abaixo e de pé sobre seu peito, com sua boca aberta, sedenta por carne e osso. Quando os devas realizam orações para pacificar Kali, ela se torna calma e tranqüila. ... De acordo com a filosofia do yoga, Kali, a primeira manifestação do inconsciente, é um poder terrível; ela domina completamente a alma individual, representada por sua posição sobre o Senhor Shiva. Às vezes acontece que, pela instabilidade mental, algumas pessoas entram em contato com seu corpo inconsciente e vêem elementos ferozes e pouco auspiciosos – fantasmas, monstros, etc. quando Kali, o poder inconsciente do homem, é despertada, ela eleva-se até encontrar a manifestação mais adiante, o superconsciente, a outorgadora de gloria e perfeição.

No corpo feminino, o ponto de concentração está no mooladhara chackra, o qual está situado no colo do útero, logo atrás da abertura do útero. Este é o ponto onde o espaço e o tempo unem-se e explodem na forma de uma experiência. Esta experiência é conhecida como orgasmo na linguagem comum, mas na linguagem do Tantra ele é chamado um despertar. A fim de manter a continuidade desta experiência, é necessário que um acumulo de energia acontece naquele ponto em particular, ou bindu. Normalmente isso não acontece porque a explosão de energia dissipa-se por todo o corpo por meio do ato sexual. para evitar isso a mulher deve ser capaz de segurar sua mente em absoluta concentração naquele ponto em particular. Para isto, a prática é conhecida como sahajoli. Na verdade, sahajoli é a concentração no bindu, mas isto é muito difícil. Portanto, a pratica de sahajoli, que é a contração da vagina, bem como dos músculos uterinos, deve ser praticada por um longo período de tempo. Se é ensinada a menina, uddiyana bandha desde a mais tenra idade, ela aperfeiçoará sahajoli naturalmente com o tempo. Uddiyana bandha é sempre praticada com a retenção externa. É importante saber realizar isto em qualquer posição. Normalmente é praticado em siddhayoni asana, mas deve-se ser capaz de realizar em vajrasana ou na postura do corvo também. Quando você pratica uddiyana bandha, e outros dois bandhas – jalandhara e moola bandha ocorrem espontaneamente. Anos desta prática irá criar um senso de concentração no ponto correto no corpo. Esta concentração é mais mental em sua natureza, mas ao mesmo tempo, uma vez que não seja possível fazê-lo mentalmente, tem de começar de algum ponto físico. Se a mulher for capaz de concentrar-se e manter a continuidade da experiência, ela pode despertar sua energia para níveis superiores. De acordo com o tantra, há duas diferentes áreas do orgasmo. Uma é na zona nervosa, que é a experiência comum para muitas mulheres, e a outra é em mooladhara chakra. Quando sahajoli é praticado durante o maithuna (o ato da união sexual), mooladhara chakra desperta e o orgasmo espiritual, ou tântrico, acontece. Quando a yoguini é capaz de praticar sahajoli por 5 a 15 minutos, ela pode reter o orgasmo tântrico pelo mesmo período de tempo. Retendo esta experiência, o fluxo de energia é revertido. A circulação do sangue e das forças simpáticas e parassimpáticas move-se para cima. Neste ponto, ela transcende a consciência normal e vê a luz. É assim que ela entra no estado profundo de dhyana. A menos que a mulher seria capaz de praticar sahajoli, ela não será capaz de reter os impulsos necessários para o orgasmo tântrico, e conseqüentemente ela terá o orgasmo nervoso, que é de curta duração e seguida de insatisfação e exaustão. Isto é muitas vezes a causa da histeria de uma mulher e da depressão.

No knife cuts as swiftly, deeply and precisely as the blade of the Beloved.

Om is that God of love. Like a loving mother Om cleans us of our clutters collected through many incarnations.

Om is the things, Om is the ingredient, Om is the container and the content of this universe.

On a physical level, water is often called the universal solvent because of its ability to dissolve almost anything at the molecular level. On a spiritual level it is the breath which acts as a universal solvent, because there is no trauma so great, no wound so deep, no delusion so convincing, that deep and mindful breathing will not dissolve it.

Om was there in the existence, when no religion was formed or founded. It will be there in the existence, if all the religions are demolished.

Once we understand cause and effect, we can stop complaining about the effects of our choices. We can start making more mindful decisions about the thoughts we entertain, the actions we perform, the people with whom we associate, and the quality of life we want to live.

Once we stop asking ourselves to be happy or perfect or anything else other than what is simply true for us in the moment, we can more easily stop asking the same of others as well.

One hundred percent is an illusion. Why do you think so many people in the Bikram world have a beautiful practice for a few years and then slip away? One hundred or even ninety percent is impossible to maintain. You will become exhausted. Mentally if not physically. Terrified of practicing the yoga you love because it is draining you not replenishing you… but even if you could practice at that intensity - it would be undesirable. you can’t make adjustments at your edge. For regular practice, seventy-five to eighty-five percent is fine - you will never tire out and in the long run you will grow much stronger.

One of the best ways to start being impatient is to stop meditating.

One who can do transcedental meditation only will succeed in spirituality