Most yoga practice starts with the goal of doing the extraordinary and supernatural— to place the feet behind the head, balance on one hand, or cheat the aging process. But the true practice of yoga aims at doing the natural and the ordinary—to stand on your feet, to find joy in filling the lungs, and to release with each exhalation.

Contrary to popular belief, the translation of vinyasa is not “sweaty practice.” Vinyasa is connecting breath and movement—a practice that has nothing to do with moving fast, accelerating the heart rate, or manifesting a pool of sweat. It does, however, have everything to do with mindful movement.

If you live well, you will be shocked and surprised to see how, at the end of your life, it all turns out. But like any great novel, the clues have always been there and the plot twists and turns were hidden in plain sight.

A gardener cannot make a seed grow. She can simply create the conditions for growth to occur and then patiently wait.A physician cannot heal the body. She can simply create the conditions forhealing to occur and then patiently wait.A spiritual seeker cannot enlighten the mind or fill the heart with compassion.She can simply create the conditions for grace to pour in and then patiently wait.

Relationship with another is like gazing into a still pond. You will either see your own face reflected or the depth of the water, but never both at the same time.

An advanced yoga practice has less to do with what happens when you roll out your mat and move through your practice and more to do with what happens when you roll up your mat and move through life.

Injuries happen on the yoga mat all the time, but they never happen when we are truly practicing yoga. For instance, most yoga-related neck injuries happen when you strain yourself trying to see what is happening on the yoga mat next to yours.

Pain is powerful medicine. While it may be unpleasant to take this medicine, it is what shapes and inspires us. As you review the story of your life, you will find that growth was almost always preceded by hardship—the loss of a job, the passing of a loved one, challenges with health, the end of a relationship. Rather than avoiding pain, yoga asks us to surrender to it, to look deep into it, and to be healed by it.

The good news is that attachment is not an industrial strength glue that binds the mind to condition-based happiness. You can free your mind at any moment by simply letting go—simply relax the mind the way you would unclench your fist.