A Life Worth Breathing Quotes

“If I have no appetite—it is because I am already full. If I have no desire to go anywhere—it is because I have already arrived.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“We lose our gratitude so easily in this commerce-driven world, and take for granted our health, friendships, food, warm shelter, running water, etc. We can become so spoiled that we actually feel the universe is conspiring against us if we aren’t being handed an Academy Award, or if we aren’t as famous as U2.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“The more light you shine into the world, the more you can help others with your very presence.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“Humility is the elixir that invites harmony into the world, for power without humility is tyranny. Physical beauty without humility is ugliness. Material wealth without humility is gluttony. The ego mistakenly sees humility only as lack, so it turns away from it, while, in truth, practicing humility brings balance and beauty to our minds, hearts, and into the world itself.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“The Five Causes We practice gratitude daily, remembering that the human heart cannot hold gratitude and negative emotions at the same time. From gratitude, joy and all other virtues are born. We practice forgiving those that have harmed us as a mode of healing ourselves. We reach out to those we have harmed, either personally or by handwritten letter, offering apology and reconciliation. We practice kindness and honesty in word and deed toward all, and especially toward our romantic partner. Kindness and honesty must always remain unified, for one without the other leads to harmful behavior. We practice humility. We never treat any others as servants or beneath us, regardless of their social or economic status. We show respect to all, and are considerate of the consequences of our actions on others. We practice our ethics in our business. Our career is a major forum for our practice of transformation, so we infuse our highest ideals into our work and workplace, always looking for win-win opportunities. We hold firm that the end never justifies the means, and teach our ethics by example.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“I attribute much of my rapid transformation to learning how to breathe well early on. That is when things really started to move. Through the breathing practice I really felt the way I thought.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“So, I gave myself permission to be the stiff guy in the back row, the guy who was trying hard but was kind of embarrassing to watch. I just didn’t care anymore, and it felt so good to me.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“We own nothing in this world. Everything we own is contained in our heart center, so spirituality is ultimately a mystical experience and not an academic one. It is where we keep all of our treasures, the container of what is truly our own.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“Many people have found their life’s path only after what they had formerly perceived as their life had crumbled to dust. In other words, it is the illusion of your life that crumbles, leaving reality in its place.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“Information memorized is not knowledge integrated.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“Put simply, the ego-mind is rooted in fear. It fears destruction of the body, reputation, and certainty. It also fears the awakening of the True Self, the soul, for the awakening of the soul would obliterate the ego-mind. It is like comparing the false idol to the true God. This is why the ego-mind fears the path of spiritual awakening and even mocks it.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“You must learn to achieve inner stillness, regardless of the outer circumstances. It is only when you can still the storm in your mind that you can unify mind, body, and emotions.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. —John Wooden”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“We know that we deserve and are meant to live an inspired life that rises above mere existence—but how? FIRST: Heal the body. With the body revitalized, you can function at a higher level in all other aspects. Learn to govern the body so the body doesn’t govern you. SECOND: Calm the mind. The more still and clear your mind is, the better your decision-making process will be, allowing you to choose from wisdom rather than fear or desire. THIRD: Heal your heart, your emotions. The more your heart is open and filled with joy and gratitude, the more you will enjoy life and be able to shine your light out into the world. The more light you shine into the world, the more you can help others with your very presence.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“In contrast to our forward surge in technology, the direction of religion worldwide continues to careen backward to the Dark Ages, more tribal than transformative. From holy wars over holy lands to holy wars in our own minds, each religious camp is flying their gang colors. Each has determined that their own Messiah of love or Prophet of peace should be pronounced the absolute. And if you don’t submit, these gangs will destroy you, despite clear instructions from their Prophet or Messiah to the contrary. Democracy and Christianity delivered in so-called smart bombs; Islam delivered in car bombs. As the world unifies economically, it is fragmenting and dividing culturally.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“As one man describes his life, “In the morning I can’t wake up, in the day I am bored, in the evening I am tired, and at night I can’t sleep.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing

“Yoga is usually offered in a nondogmatic format, which makes it inclusive as opposed to divisive. If one needs reminding of the perils of divisiveness, one need look no further than the morning newspaper; all family, tribal, state, national, and international warfare begins with the template of divisiveness. The lower mind first divides, then derides, and then destroys.”
― Max Strom, A Life Worth Breathing: A Yoga Master's Handbook of Strength, Grace, and Healing