Very popular reading from his book Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga:
“The obstacles in our path are the path. Every time we stretch beyond our resistance and our fear, we make a choice for life. And every time we choose life, fear loses its grip on us. We all know more than we think we do. And we are stronger than we believe ourselves to be. We come to our mats, and to our lives, to learn by going where we have to go.” – Rolf Gates
Class readings from aprile/maggio:
“Not what you have, but what you see; Not what you see, but what you choose; Not what seems fair, but what is true; Not what you dream, but what you do; Not what you take, but what you give; Not as you pray, but as you live. These are the things that mar or bless the sum of human happiness.”
– Source Unknown
“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.”- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, dramatist, novelist, philosopher and scientist.
I just started reading this in class and the response has been pretty strong as it seems to resonate with a lot of you. I’ve found myself not only drawn to the application of this in relation to those that really challenge me (or am quick to judge or dismiss), but also to how I treat myself (in thoughts and actions) – Are you treating yourself (and others) as you/they are or as you/they ought to be???
I’ve been sharing this in class over the last couple of weeks:
“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”
– Henry David Thoreau
People wish to be settled: Only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them.
