Sharath: “Yes, we all have our karma. Mine is to be a yoga teacher. I must follow my karma. As Krishna said to Arjuna: "You are a warrior, you must fulfill your karma and fight this difficult battle."
Karma (action) and Dharma (truth) go together. Similarly, a doctor must follow his karma honestly. Everyone must recognize the karma given to him by God and follow it honestly.”

"Without doing asanas, purification and stability will not come. Without a healthy body you cannot have a healthy mind. You need to activate your body and nervous system, then also the brain will be purified. We cannot progress without this purification. Asana is not only physical. It is a very big tool to purify the mind and the body.”

I read 21 Things to know before starting an Ashtanga Practice by Claudia Altucher over and over. It is a fun read and every time I come across a different tip or fact/truth/wisdom that I need at that moment.

Here are my most favorite.

"Yoga means to yoke, to unite. We unite body, mind and spirit. But what does that mean?
Pattabhi Jois says that yoga is: 'A path we follow by which we can attain something'. And that something we are trying to attain is the SELF.
This Self is the part of us that is always at peace, the part that was never born and will never die, the part that is timeless, eternal, always flowing in this moment, free of compulsive thinking.

Patanjali gave a very clear three point description of how we can all achieve the state of yoga. He said we can gain it by doing these three things:
- accepting pain as help for purification
- studying of spiritual books
- surrendering to the Supreme being

Because I heard Sonia ask Sharath the question: "Was he living in the trees?" When Sharath told about Krishnamacharya's guru who lived in the forest.


Article on Vanity Fair

"Teach what is appropriate for each individual"

"Teach what is inside you, not as it applies to you, but as it applies to the other"

"The person and the capability of the person should determine the practice"

"Slow practice of asana with proper respiration will not only remove the defects in the body but will result in mental focus"

"There is only one yoga: The Yogasutras of Patanjali (also known as Raja Yoga)"

"Let the message not be lost"

With regular practice it is possible to attain a healthy body and mind, and to realize the Self, our innermost soul, which in its nature is eternal peace, limitless freedom and happiness.
It is important for students to practice asana (yoga postures) in the correct order and to follow the exact vinyasa method. It is in this way that the body, mind and spirit can develop intelligence and harmony.

Ashtanga Yoga s a practice and philosophy that develops one's psychological and spiritual health. This yoga tradition connects us to the life-force that flows through all beings, and most importantly, remains grounded in a deep sense of respect for the gurus, for it is they who uphold and form the knowledge made accessible to us through practice.

• Ashtanga Yoga, Petri Räisänen
• Yoga Mala, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
• Ashtanga Yoga As It Is, Matthew Sweeney
• The Key Muscles of Yoga, Ray Long
• Yoga Makaranda, the nectar of Yoga, revised edition, by T. Krishnamacharya (Media Garuda, Chennai)
• Liberating Isolation, The Yoga-Sutra of Patañjali, Frans Moors, (MGC)
• Health, Healing, and Beyond: Yoga and the Living Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya - T.K.V. Desikachar
• Yoga als Levenskunst -B.K.S. Iyengar

Aanbevolen boeken:
• Autobiography of a Yogi - P. Yogananda of de Nederlandse vertaling
• Ashtanga Yoga Manual - David Swenson of de Nederlandse vertaling
• Astanga Yoga Anusthana - Sharath Jois
• The Key Poses of Yoga, Ray Long
• Zien door Yoga, Patañjali’s Sutras - Joghum Dijkstra en Salvatore Cantore of de Engelse versie:
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali - Georg Feuerstein
• Moola Bandha: The Master Key - Swami Buddhananda
• The Heart of Yoga - T.K.V. Desikachar (met vertaling van Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
• Ashtanga Yoga - Lino Miele
• De Bhagavad Gita - William Quan Judge, vertaling Rob Pullen
• Atlas of the human body - F Netter, (Barron’s)
• Yoga Anatomy - L Kaminoff & A Matthews
• Yoga Sadhana for mothers - S Desai & A Wise
• Refining the Breath - Doug Keller
• The complete book of Vinyasa Yoga -Sviratsa Ramaswami
• Practical Yoga Psychology - dr. Rishi Vivekananda - Bihar School of Yoga
• The Power of Ashtanga Yoga -Kino MacGregor
• Art of Adjusting - Brian Cooper