“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”

Before peace between the nations, we have to find peace inside that small nation which is our own being.

There is no difference in souls, only the ideas about ourselves that we wear.

The yogi cannot be afraid to die, because he has brought life to every cell of his body. We are afraid to die, because we are afraid we have not lived. The yogi has lived.

When you are practicing, do not just do that for the sake of doing. Learn to reflect while you are practising. Make your mind and brain observe and relearn what you are doing. Doing is mechanical; learning is dynamic.

It is through the body that everything comes to the mind. It is through and with your body that you have to reach realization of being a spark of divinity. How can we neglect the temple of the spirit?

If you open the armpits, the brain becomes light. You cannot brood or become depressed.

Savasana is being without was, being without will be. It is being without anyone who is.

Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss.

Do not stop trying just because perfection eludes you.

Sirsasana the king of all asanas and the reasons are not hard to find.

I don’t bring yesterday’s poses to today’s practice. I know yesterday’s poses, but when I practice today I become a beginner. I don’t want yesterday’s experience. I want to see what new understanding may come in addition to what I felt up to now.

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

Yoga is more than physical. It is cellular, mental, intellectual and spiritual-it involves man in his entire being

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

When your body, mind and soul are healthy and harmonious, you will bring health and harmony to the world- not by withdrawing from the world, but by being a healthy, living organ of the body of humanity.

You must purge yourself before finding faults in others.

Your body exists in the past and your mind exists in the future. In yoga, they come together in the present.

Know your capacities and continually improve upon them.

It’s precisely the people who are considered the least ‘likely’ leaders who end up inspiring others the most.

This one question-‘What do I know for certain?’-is tremendously powerful. When you look deeply into this question, it actually destroys your world. It destroys your whole sense of self, and it’s meant to.

It is so inspiring when you come across a woman who is very strong and dedicated and is amazing at what they do. That’s how I feel about Meryl Streep.

I’d done a few short films before and thought acting was really creative, but when I worked with those guys, I was just like: “Wow!” They had such fun and freedom. They were trying things and stretching themselves. It was so inspiring that I was like: “I definitely want to do this!”

It is impossible to withhold education from the receptive mind, as it is impossible to force it upon the unreasoning.

We are living in an inspiring and unimaginably large universe.