Mark Stephens > Quotes

“yoga is not a practice of attaining idealized physical postures, but a process of self-exploration, self-acceptance, and self-transformation. Reinforce”
― Mark Stephens, Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes

“The ultimate language of yoga is expressed in doing yoga, a practice that transcends words as we open our lives to living more consciously through the infinite wisdom of the heart.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques

“Yet Yogi Bhajan describes mastery of this practice as arising from teaching it: “If you want to learn something,” he says, “read it. If you want to know something, write it. If you want to MASTER something, Teach it!” (Bhajan).”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“Yoga is a tool for realigning our awareness with the divine, creating a state of oneness that is our true nature.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“Even when choosing stillness we are still moving, our hearts beating, breath flowing, all our systems at work.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“integral yoga aims at “opening the springs of creative inspiration hidden in the human psyche” and the “active participation”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“the breath is seen as a gateway to the world of vital energetic currents generated in the human body and controlling all the biological processes.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“the mind ceases to be a separate entity, and the intelligence and the body become one.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“Bahya Kumbhaka Introduce bahya kumbhaka after students are at ease doing antara kumbhaka. Guide them into ujjayi, bringing attention to the natural pause when empty of breath. Do several rounds of ujjayi, refining awareness of the movement in and out of that pause. With the first few retentions of the exhalation, hold for just one count and then do several rounds of seamless ujjayi before repeating. Gradually expand the count, staying with simple retention. Encourage students to keep their eyes, face, throat, and heart center soft and not to grip in their belly. Unlike inhalations, exhalations naturally stimulate mula bandha and uddiyana bandha.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“Perfection in an asana is achieved when the effort to achieve it becomes effortless, and the infinite being within is reached.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“not that the person needs to accommodate him- or herself to yoga, but rather the yoga practice must be tailored to fit each person”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“The more you know, the more you don't know," the further you go in your training, learning, and experience as a yoga teacher, the more you'll realize that there's an infinite universe of knowledge and wisdom to bring to the practice.”
― Mark Stephens, Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes

“The eight-limbed path, or ashtanga yoga, is: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“I learned through yoga asana that the body is a map to the soul and that my own body speaks a language that is designed for me to hear and learn from. Everyone’s body and practice are different in the sense that the language that the body speaks is entirely different from one person to the next, but”
― Mark Stephens, Teaching Yoga

“yoga teachers B. K. S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and T. K. V. Desikachar.”
― Mark Stephens, Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes