“The way we live is destructive to the body; there is no respect towards its needs and demands. We destroy, little by little, that precious, complex, vital vessel of life we received at birth. All religions encourage self-sacrifice, but when we are ill we pray to God to heal us. How inconsistent we are! To be simple, to appreciate what has been given to us, and to take care of our body, is an act of humility.

To die is alright, we all have to die sooner or later, but what we must do is not allow the body to degenerate while living. Do not kill the instinct of the body…do not look at your body like a stranger.

In the beginning you have to make room for yoga in your daily life, and give it the place it deserves. But after some time yoga itself will pull you up by the hair and make you do it…yoga will be accepted by the body when it is done without resistance. By doing yoga in the proper way, we should be able to maintain [the body's] purity until the end.”

From Awakening the Spine, by Vanda Scaravelli, yoga teacher and author. The book was written when Vanda was near age 80 and still teaching and practicing yoga.

Tags: health, people, yoga

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