Quotes on Asana

In an asana, the mind has to reach inside the body to find a quiet space until a point comes where perfect balance is felt. If the mind is wandering while practicing, then one is not fully present, and there can be no union. Involvement, interpenetratio n and insight are the required qualities for the practitioner.

Tears come from the heart and not from the brain

Asana done from the brain makes one heavy and done from the heart makes one light.

The flexibility we gain in asana is the living symbol of the suppleness we gain in relation to life’s problems and challenges.

Asanas maintain the strength and health of the body, without which little progress can be made. Asanas keep the body in harmony with nature

Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God.

When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.

Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.

The practice of yogasana for the sake of health, to keep fit, or to maintain flexibility is the external practice of yoga. While this is a legitimate place to begin, it is not the end. Even in simple asanas, one is experiencing the three levels of quest: the external quest, which brings firmness of the body; the internal quest, which brings steadiness of intelligence; and the innermost quest, which brings benevolence of spirit.

Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions.

Activity and passivity must go together in asanas.

The Yogi conquers the body by the practice of asanas, making the body a fit vehicle for the spirit. The Yogi knows that it is a necessary vehicle for the spirit, for a soul without a body is like a bird deprived of its power to fly.

Asanas penetrate deep into each layer of the body and ultimately into the consciousness itself.

You must do the asana with your soul. How can you do an asana with your soul? We can only do it with the organ of the body that is closest to the soul - the heart. So a virtuous asana is done from the heart and not from the head. Then you are not just doing it, but you are in it. Many people try to think their way into an asana, but you must instead feel your way into it through love and devotion