Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos. The trees, the clouds, everything. Thich Nhat Hanh

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult. Seneca

Everyday we do things, we are things that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our life, our way of looking at things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment we are alive. Thich Nhat Hanh

On action alone be thy interest, Never on its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be thy motive, Nor be thy attachment to inaction. Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2)

Nancy Gilgoff Yoga workshop 10 , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Drop back with Nancy Gilgoff - at her workshop in Wiltshire. Nancy will be back in the UK in July 2011.

For certain is death for the born, And certain is birth for the dead; Therefore over the inevitable, Thou shouldst not grieve. Bhagavad Gita (chapter 2, verse 27)

Devout men (Yogins) who are intent (thereon) see this (spirit) seated in themselves; but the senseless, whose minds are unformed, see it not. Bhagavad Gita 15:11

Meekness He whom the world troubles not, and who troubles not the world, who is free from the emotions of joy, wrath, and fear, is dear to Me. The man who is guileless, pure, upright, unconcerned, free from distress of mind, who renounces every enterprise and worships me, is dear to me. He who has neither delight nor aversion, who neither mourns nor desires, who renounces good and evil fortune, and worships me, is dear to me. He who is the same to friend and foe, and also in honour and dishonour, who is the same in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, who is wholly free from attatchment; To whom praise and blame are equal, who is silent, content with every fortune, home-renouncing, steadfast in mind, and worships me, that man is dear to me. Bhagavad Gita 12:15-19

This baby is not real and it's definitely not how you should practice yoga with an infant. I also find the commentary pretty disturbing. Women in Russia do not throw their babies around like this; and nor should anyone else! To see the content of the video, you will need to be signed into Youtube.

Humility He who hates no single being, is friendly and compassionate, free from self-regard and vanity, the same in good and evil, patient; Contented, ever devout, subdued in soul, firm in purpose, fixed on me in heart and mind, and who worships me, is dear to me. Bhagavad Gita 12:13-14

Purity of Heart Whenever the wavering and unsteadfast heart wanders away, then so often let him subdue it and bring it back to the control of the soul; For supreme happiness comes to the Yogin whose heart is at rest, in whom passion is tranquilised, who is one with Brahma, and free from sin. The Yogin thus uniting his soul (to Brahman), who has ceased from sin, enjoys easily the boundless happiness of union with Brahman. Bhagavad Gita 6:26-29

Charity He that does everything for Me, whose supreme object I am, who worships Me, being free from attachment and without hatred to any creature, this man, Arjuna!, comes to Me. Bhagavad Gita 11:55

Yearning for Divine Edification Perseverance in (seeking to gain) the knowledge of the Supreme Spirit, and perception of the gain that comes from knowledge of the truth: This is called knowledge : all that is contrary to this is ignorance. Bhagavad Gita 13:11

Distrust of Intellect The wise who knows the Self as bodiless within the bodies, as unchanging among changing things, as great and omnipresent, does never grieve. That self cannot be gained by the Veda, nor by understanding, nor by much learning. He whom the Self chooses, by him the Self can be gained. The Self chooses him (his body) as his own. But he who has not first turned away from his wickedness, who is not tranquil, and subdued, or whose mind is not at rest, he can never obtain the Self (even) by knowledge. Katha Upanishad 1.2.22-24

The Camden Market , originally uploaded by Ginger Nut Designs . Today is a full moon day. Here is a photo of the full moon over Camden Market in London.

Disdain for Material Things Which is as poison in the beginning, but is like nectar in the end; that is declared to be "good" pleasure, born from the serenity of one's own mind. That which is like nectar in the beginning from the connection of the sense-object with the senses, but is as poison in the end, is held to be of "passion". Bhagavad Gita 18:37-38

As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose. Bhagavad Gita

Living creatures are nourished by food, and food is nourished by rain; rain itself is the water of life, which comes from selfless worship and service. Bhagavad Gita

The non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of summer and winter seasons. Bhagavad Gita

He who, before he leaves his body, learns to surmount the promptings of desire and anger is a saint and is happy. Bhagavad Gita

Ashtanga yoga is a dynamic form of yoga practiced six days a week. Ladies' holidays are when women are menstruating and are advised to refrain from practising Ashtanga yoga, during the first three days of menses. I have looked at the different anatomical reasons for not practising Ashtanga at this time and here are a couple of examples: Inverted poses Where the head is lower than the heart, affects the downward flow of the menstrual cycle. Mula bandha and uddiyana bandha Are internal muscular locks, used during this yoga practice, to increase the upward flow of Prana (energy). During menstruating the natural flow is downward Apana, therefore affecting a woman’s natural cycle. A lot has been written about this subject but I have chosen not to list them (see last paragraph) When I first started to practice Ashtanga yoga I did not adhere to “Ladies' holidays” and I still have a little bit of a problem with the “ladies” word, but I am not about to try and change Sri K. Pattabhi Jo...

It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins. Bhagavad Gita

Here is a video of Lino Miele practising Kuttutasana. Enjoy!

Here is an interesting article by Jan Kiecolt-Glasner of Ohio State University that informs us how yoga has been shown to reduce cytokine levels, which are known to promote inflammation. Yoga reduces cytokine levels known to promote inflammation Regularly practicing yoga exercises may lower a number of compounds in the blood and reduce the level of inflammation that normally rises because of both normal ageing and stress, a new study has shown. The study, done by Ohio State University researchers and just reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, showed that women who routinely practiced yoga had lower amounts of the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in their blood. The women also showed smaller increases in IL-6 after stressful experiences than did women who were the same age and weight but who were not yoga practitioners. IL-6 is an important part of the body's inflammatory response and has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, arthritis and a host of ...

Snowy yoga , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Snow yoga.

Utkatasana , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Utkatasana- Chair pose

Knowledge, the object of knowledge and the knower are the three factors which motivate action: The senses, the work, and the doer comprise the threefold basis of action. Bhagavad Gita

Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed. Bhagavad Gita

Padmasana - Lotus position , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Padmasana. Lotus position

This is a lovely healthy detoxifying soup and tastes delicious with or without the cheese option. The colour of this soup is amazing and if you add feta becomes slightly pinker. My kind of soup... simple! Ingredients: 250 g (1/2 lb) beetroot, grated coarsely 250 g (1/2 lb) tomatoes, halved 1 clove garlic, chopped roughly 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 tablespoon olive or sunflower oil 250 ml (8 fl oz) stock salt and freshly ground black pepper 60 g (2 oz) feta cheese Preparation Place the halved tomatoes in an ovenproof dish. Throw over the garlic and drizzle over half the olive oil. Roast them for 25-30 minutes at 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 until soft and pulpy and pass through a sieve to remove the skin and pips. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sweat the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add the beetroot and the stock and bring to the boil. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer gently for 7-10 minutes until the beetroot is tender. Stir in the ...

Fruit n soup 008 , originally uploaded by yogamama.co.uk . Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2011. May the juicing commence...