"It starts with radical self-awareness, not the kind that begins and ends on the mat, but an awareness of oneself as a part of something bigger. That includes acknowledging the privilege of wellness and doing what is needed to democratize health and well-being. We can acknowledge this on a personal level, a social and relational level, and a systems level."
"Yoga is being in deep, authentic relationship with all parts of ourselves and our surroundings. It’s reclaiming the lost and neglected parts of us so that we can reunite with our wholeness. The same can be applied in community. How can we move into deeper relationship with one another so that we can see one another more clearly and take care of the whole of who we are?"
"Yoga made me healthier and more flexible in my body, yes, and also in my mind and in my emotions. I found myself more able to understand myself, to connect with my own story; better able to stay focused and centered not only on the mat in challenging situations, but also off the mat as well.
But the main fruit of my practice isn’t really about the self—important and transformative as these changes are. It’s those moments when the self opens to something bigger, when the boundaries fall away, when I see into the amazing wholeness of the world—yes, really, even our crazy, often upside-down world.
And, ultimately, this is the real fruit of our practice."
"Gandhi, through non-violent activism, brought centuries of oppressive rulership to an end. He never actually said, however, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This was a convenient abbreviation of what he did say, which takes more thoughtfulness: 'If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him….We need not wait to see what others do.'
It seems to me that Gandhi was saying: Do your asana and pranayama practice, and build your meditation to a steady fire—a fire that brings the kind of clarity that doesn’t ask for approval or require conformity, but sees what this life is meant to be."
"Effective and responsible leadership requires critical self-awareness, communication skills, and knowledge of the larger systems (economic, political, and cultural) that impact all of us. The inner work is a necessary part of external transformation. Embodied practices like yoga and meditation are effective tools for this self-awareness as well as tools for remaining grounded in the face of conflict or adversity."