Jack

“The way I touch
earth and heaven at once,
stretching from soil to sky.
The way the mat holds my feet
and my feet hold me.
The way it seems so simple,
something to be brushed off as
‘too easy,’
and the way it is actually
foundational.
The way I know
that when I am in it,
I am it—
unshakeable no matter what
winds blow or rains pour down.
It is as if I remain,
eternal,
undaunted,

majestic.

—mountain pose”
― Ashley Asti, Yoga Heartsongs

“Here in the corner attic of America, two hours’ drive from a rain forest, a desert, a foreign country, an empty island, a hidden fjord, a raging river, a glacier, and a volcano is a place where the inhabitants sense they can do no better, nor do they want to.”
― Timothy Egan, The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest

“Yogasanas have often been thought of as a form of exercise. They are not exercises, but techniques which place the physical body in positions that cultivate awareness, relaxation, concentration and meditation. Part of this process is the development of good physical health by stretching, massaging and stimulating the pranic channels and internal organs.

When yogasanas are performed, respiration and metabolic rates slow down, the consumption of oxygen and the body temperature drop. During exercise,
however, the breath and metabolism speed up, oxygen consumption rises, and the body gets hot. In addition, asanas are designed to have specific effects on the glands and internal organs, and to alter electrochemical activity in the nervous system.”
― Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha

“Embody what you most want to impart, and keep your mouth shut.”
― Jon Kabat-Zinn, SELPONT here You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life By Jon Kabat-Zinn & Mindfulness Finding Peace in a Frantic World By Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman 2 Books Collection Set