The battle of yoga is with the body and with the ego. You must conquer your ego, or small self, so that you can let your soul, your big Self, be victorious.
Hard work and humility are essential for spiritual sadhana.
Give more than you receive. That is the principle I tell all my students.
The sleeping tortoise takes all its limbs into its carapace. So does the yogi: going back into himself he does not see anything worldly any longer, he makes peace in himself.
True concentration is an unbroken thread of awareness.
If we become aware of its limitations and compulsions, we can transcend them.
Classics postures, when practiced with discrimination and awareness, bring the body, mind, and consciousness into a single, harmonious whole.
A good teacher helps you explore the maximum.
When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake.
By persistent and sustained practice, anyone and everyone can make the yoga journey and reach the goal of illumination and freedom.
Life without tapas, is like a heart without love.
Where does the body end and the mind begin? Where does the mind end and the spirit begin? They cannot be divided as they are inter-related and but different aspects of the same all-pervading divine consciousness.
As a fire blazes brightly when the covering of ash over it is scattered by the wind, the divine fire within the body shines in all its majesty when the ashes of desire are scattered by the practice of pranayama.
As a mighty river which when properly harnessed by dams and canals, creates a vast reservoir of water, prevents famine and provides abundant power for industry; so also the mind, when controlled, provides a reservoir of peace and generates abundant energy for the human uplift.
Yoga is a means and an end.
In each pose there should be repose.
When stability becomes a habit, maturity and clarity follow.
Move from the known to the unknown.
Persistent practice alone is the key to yoga. As you take pains to learn, continue with devotion what you have learn.
A yogi’s brain extends from the bottom of the foot to the top of his head.