Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds. (Mahatma Gandhi)

Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be. (Anonymous source)

God dwells in the heart of all being, Arjuna, thy God dwells in thy heart. And his power of wonder moves all things - puppets in a play of shadows - whirling them onwards on the stream of times. (The Bhagavad Gita)

Following a recent article in the Sunday Times magazine, where the journalist suggested that a lot of people have no idea what they are chanting in their yoga class, here is the Sanskrit version of the Ashtanga Yoga Opening Chant along with the English translation. Enjoy!! om vande gurunam charanaravinde sandarshita svatma sukhava bodhe nih shreyase jangalikayamane samsara halahala mohashantyai abahu purusakaram shankhacakrasi dharinam sahasra shirasam shvetam pranamami patanjalim om The opening chant translated to English: Om I bow to the lotus feet of the gurus, The awakening happiness of one’s own self revealed, Beyond better, acting like the jungle physician, Pacifying delusion, the poison of samsara. Taking the form of a man to the shoulders, Holding a conch, a discus, and a sword, One thousand heads white, To Patanjali, I salute. Om

Most of the people who follow this blog will already know what yoga is. However, I am aware that this is not always the case... To some, yoga may sound vaguely familiar, others may have some misconceptions regarding the matter; whereas some may have never heard about it before. To fully understand what yoga is, there are a wealth of resources available, with numerous books, videos and DVD's available in high street stores; and now, thanks to the internet, there are also a large number of websites that offer immediate answers at the click of a button. For time and space reasons, it is impossible for me to explain in great detail what yoga is in a single post. Therefore, I will try to cover the basic notions of yoga in the simplest way possible and hopefully, in the process, clear up and doubts and/or misconceptions that you may have about the matter. Origins... Yoga is an ancient form of physical movement which originates from Indian culture and philosophy, regarded as a divine scie

"Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself". (Chief Indian Seatle)

I am pleased to announce that I will be holding a creative yoga workshop on Saturday 27th June 2009 (2-4pm) at The Studio in Putney . The workshop - which is based on the creative surya namaskars - is a flowing vinyasa sequence, creating internal heat and strengthening, detoxifying and balancing the body. The sequence will include arm balancing and back bending and is ideal if you like flowing, yet challenging, yoga. The practice will conclude with a guided meditation. Cost £25.00 . If you would like more information about this workshop, please visit the creative workshop newsletter on the yoga mama website. Please note that there are limited places on the workshop, so to reserve yours please contact yoga mama at info@yogamama.co.uk . The workshop will be held at The Studio, which is located just off Putney High Street (next to Sainsbury's). Address: The Studio, 10 Werter Road, London SW15.

"This calm steadiness of the senses is called yoga. Then one should become watchful, becomes yoga comes and go". (Katha Upanishad)

"Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked". (The yoga sutras of Patanjali)

"Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success. " (Hatha Yoga Pradipika)