Animal Nations

We need another and a wiser and perhaps

a more mystical concept of animals.

Remote from universal nature,

and living by complicated artifice,

man in civilization surveys the

creatures through the glass of his

knowledge and sees thereby a feather

magnified and the whole image in distortion.

We patronize them for their incompleteness,

for their tragic fate of having taken

form so far below ourselves.

And therein we err,

and greatly err.

For the animal shall not be measured by man.

In a world older and more complete

than ours they move finished and complete,

gifted with extensions of the senses we

have lost or never attained,

living by voices we shall never hear.

They are not brethren,

they are not underlings;

they are other nations,

caught with ourselves in

the net of life and time,

fellow prisoners of the splendor

and travail of the earth.

Henry Beston, The Outermost House


Wild Yogini Quotes ..

“Your purpose is unconditional presence,

where no physical or mental state

can knock you out of presence.

And its not about replacing a frown

for a smile, or about making grief

or anger go away, but letting the surface

of life be what it is.

This is where you discover

the depth of your being.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“Meditation is simply seeing the perspective of oneness;

and with sincerity and persistence,

that becomes our abiding consciousness.

At times, the recognition of oneness lifts us to ineffable heights,

at others we find ourselves firmly in each moment.

Both are expressions of what we are capable of.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“In living we learn about who we are,

but more importantly, who we are not.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“Heaven is already on Earth, we just need to support, contribute and maintain it.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“Life is difficult. No doubt.

In fact, this is one of the Great Truths.

And what makes it both ‘great’ and ‘true’ is that you believe it.

You must genuinely acknowledge this and honestly accept it;

only then will your eyes be made open that you have the power to change it.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“A spark is still a flame, and a raindrop still the ocean,

yet the ego would have you think

it is separate and independent of spirit.

It is a child. Bring it close, love it and teach it with loving kindness.

This is how we become whole,

while realizing that all beings are not separate from our self.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“In Yoga, as in life, we should expect nothing.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“Yoga is not a practice .. not something you do.

Yoga is your natural state.

There is nothing unnatural about the poses

because they simply demonstrate how your body is supposed to work.

If you were issued an owner’s manual at birth,

it would be on Yoga.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“You dont need anything to start a Yoga practice.

Not a mat, special clothes, straps, blocks

or any other bunk someone tries to sell you.

And ‘no’, you dont need to be a vegetarian.

All you need is a car to get here.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“In Yoga, some days are diamond and some days are stone.

Just like in life, there are good days and not so good days.

Constant change is healthy, and its something we have been

personally experiencing since birth,

so should have grown accustomed to by now.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“All attack is a call for help.

When someone yells at you, calls you names,

puts a label on you, accuses you,

becomes angry with you,

they are projecting their own need for help.

Be understanding and

assist them where you can.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“There are a lot of odd ideas about what Yoga is.

Because of its profound physical and mental effect,

new students feel an immediate difference

in their health and attitude.

After a few weeks, they will linger after class,

lean in close and whisper,

‘There’s something more to this .. isn’t there?!’”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“There is Corpse Pose and ‘final relaxation’.

Corpse is when you feel like collapsing after an asana.

Final relaxation – what I call Purna Shava Shanti Asana –

is the ‘Whole Body Peace Pose’, which is who we are all the time.

Tired or energized.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“Don’t do the pose!  Be the pose!

Don’t let the pose change the breath!

Asana means ‘to sit’,

so let the breath show you how to be firmly seated!”

-Yogini Valarie Devi


“Your first Yoga class is the hardest because you’ve never been taught to use your body.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi

“No one can make anyone do anything.

No one can change anyones mind.

No one can wake up anyone.

Change comes from within, not from with out.

Lead by example .. thats what gets peoples attention.”

-Yogini Valarie Devi