Eleanor Roosevelt wrote: If someone betrays you once, it is his fault; if he betrays you twice, it is your fault. Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

One doesn’t become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable, and therefore not popular. (Carl Gustav Jung)

As those who practice it know, golf can be a very frustrating sport at times. When a shot does not come off as well as hoped for, it can be quite difficult to move on to the next shot and continue with the game. This is where yogic breathing may be of great benefit. Taking time out to steady one's breath and focus on the present – not on what has just happened or what may happen later – may help golfers to forget previous errors and proceed as normal with their game. From a bio-mechanical point of view, the strain on the body while playing golf can also have adverse effects on players. Not to mention the fact that swinging a club and hitting the ball with great force may also increase the risk of injury. Some of the most common injuries associated with golf are: back and hip pain, shoulder injuries, wrist problems, etc... Many yoga poses can help alleviate these conditions. Poses such as the cat, the downward dog, seated twists, the cow pose (and many more) can help increase your r

There are ways to learn what's inside you. We have all cried for ourselves a little, that's natural, but don't let it go on for too long. That's a child's way. (Herold Small War, Yuwipi Man)

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?". Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; your playing small doesn't serve the world. (Marianne Williamson, quoted by Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech)

Love is patient and kind. It is not jealous nor conceited nor proud; love is not ill-mannered, it does not seek its own advantage and is not irritable. Love does not keep a record of wrong, is not happy with evil, but rejoice in the truth. Love is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope and to endure. (St. Paul)

I would like mention to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, or “Guruji” as he was often called, who died in May at the age of 94. He was the man responsible for the Ashtanga vinyasa series, much loved in the West. His take on yoga has touched many people around the world and his famous quote “practice and all is coming” is used by many teachers. While I never got to practice with him myself, a lot of my yoga training was completed under the supervision of two of his early followers, David Swenson and Nancy Gilgoff (the first western woman to practice with Guruji in Mysore, India). She and her partner at that time, David Williams, took Pattabhi Jois to California and, from there, Ashtanga yoga started to attract followers from all around the world. As a matter of interest, Nancy – who now lives in Maui, Hawaii - will be in the UK in October to hold several workshops. These will take place in Wiltshire and are well-worth attending. That said, she usually requires participants to have at least two year

Food brings benefit for some hours, clothes for some months but wisdom lasts as long as the mind itself. It is the fondation of a better society. (Anonymous Tibetan source)

As I mentioned the other day, I read an article in The Sunday Times regarding yoga. The article, titled Celebrity devotees, designer yoga mats and jumped-up teachers — where will it all end? by Nirpal Dhaliwal, is – to say the least – scornful of the holier-than-thou attitude held by many yoga instructors and students alike; celebrity “devotees” and the use of yoga as a means of showing that one is well off or trying to keep up with the Jones's. Personally, I try to avoid falling into these stereotypes, although I may be guilty of letting slip the occasional “namaste” or two. Yoga has certainly been of great benefit to me since I started practising it way back in 1994, but I think that, if care is not taken, there is definitely a danger of taking oneself too seriously. This, in turn, can lead to self-righteous and pretentious behaviour, which is just not what yoga is all about. I will leave you with Nirpal Dhaliwal's 10 yoga no-nos. I could not help but laugh when I read them:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. (Goethe)