• "To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life."— William Londen
  • "Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us."— Samuel Smiles
  • "Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along."— Paramahansa Yogananda
  • "In our uniquely human capacity to connect movement with breath and spiritual meaning, yoga is born."— Gurmekh Kaur Khalsa
  • "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."— Greg Anderson
  • "The closer you come to knowing that you alone create the world of your experience, the more vital it becomes for you to discover just who is doing the creating."— Eric Micha'el Leventhal
  • "Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."— Saint Francis de Sales
  • "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."— Gautama Buddha
  • "Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again."— L. Frank Baum
  • "In the practice of Yoga one can emphasize the body, the mind or the self and hence the effort can never be fruitless."— T. Krishnamacharya
  • "Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won't)."— James Baraz
  • "Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home... it's your responsibility to love it, or change it."— Chuck Palahniuk
  • "To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."— Buddha
  • "Meditation is the soul's perspective glass."— Owen Feltham
  • "The only journey is the one within."— Rainier Maria Rilke
  • "Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind."— Buddha
  • "When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you."— Stephen Richards
  • "Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift."— Albert Einstein
  • "Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul."— Amit Ray
  • "Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."— Matsuo Basho
  • "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."— Victor Frankl
  • "It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it."— Eleanor Roosevelt
  • "To attain inner peace you must actually give your life, not just your possessions. When you at last give your life- bringing into alignment your beliefs and the way you live then, and only then, can you begin to find inner peace."— Peace Pilgrim
  • "Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health."— Dalai Lama
  • "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."— Greg Anderson
  • "Amidst the worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings."— Tao Te Ching
  • "The deeper you get into yoga you realize it is a spiritual practice. It's a journey I'm making. I'm heading that way."— Sting
  • "Minds are like flowers, they only open when the time is right."— Stephen Richards
  • "Peace is not an absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."— Ronald Regan
  • "Health is a large word. It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well... and not today's pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man."— James H. West
  • "There are two types of seeds in the mind: those that create anger, fear, frustration, jealousy, hatred and those that create love, compassion, equanimity and joy. Spirituality is germination and sprouting of the second group and transforming the first group."— Amit Ray
  • "Joy is the simplest form of gratitude."— Karl Barth
  • "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."— Melody Beattie
  • "You cannot find peace by avoiding life."— Virginia Woolf
  • "If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath."— Amit Ray
  • "I love yoga because not only is it a workout for your body, but also your breathing, which helps release a lot of stress. It really prepares you for the day."— Tia Mowery
  • "Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creation, and the exponent of breath."— Emily Dickinson
  • "If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment."— Carlos Santana
  • "We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."— Buddha
  • "When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."— Anthony Robbins
  • "After the demands of the ego and its greed surrendered, the struggle for fulfillment of personal desires lessen; life takes on a new zest like a breath of fresh air."— Swami Sivananda Radha
  • "Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish and loneliness."— Indra Devi
  • "Happiness, true happiness, is an inner quality. It is a state of mind. If your mind is at peace, you are happy. If your mind is at peace, but you have nothing else, you can be happy. If you have everything the world can give- pleasure, possessions, power- but lack peace of mind, you can never be happy."— Dada Vaswani
  • "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."— Dalai Lama
  • "Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got to keep going."— Chantal Sutherland
  • "It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and is not possible to find it elsewhere."— Agnes Repplier
  • "You see, everything is about belief, whatever we believe rules our existence, rules our life."— Don Miguel Ruiz
  • "Yoga is not about self-improvement, it's about self-acceptance."— Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
  • "Gratitude is the sign of noble souls."— Aesop
  • "Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness."— James Thurber
  • "Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that."— Jon Kabat-Zinn
  • "Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people."— Jawaharlal Nahru
  • "Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts."— Thich Nhat Hahn
  • "The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in."— Geeta Iyengar
  • "Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of body, mind and soul."— Amit Ray
  • "Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health."— Dalai Lama
  • "Life is a moving, breathing thing. We have to be willing to constantly evolve. Perfection is constant transformation."— Nia Peeples
  • "Breath is the finest gift of nature. Be grateful for this wonderful gift."— Amit Ray
  • "The aim of yoga is to eliminate the control that material nature exerts over the human spirit, to rediscover through introspective practice what the poet T.S. Eliot called "the still point of the turning world.""— Barbara Stoler Miller
  • "The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently."— Pema Chodron
  • "In this moment, there is plenty of time. In this moment, you are precisely as you should be. In this moment, there is infinite possibility."— Victoria Moran
  • "What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters to what lies within us."— Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • "Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes."— Nhat Hanh
  • "Peace begins with a smile."— Mother Teresa
  • "Nobody can bring you peace but yourself."— Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • "Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."— Dalai Lama
  • "Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time."— Lyndon B. Johnson
  • "You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it."— Albert Einstein
  • "Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment."— Matthieu Ricard
  • "Meditation is the tongue of the soul and the language of our spirit."— Jeremy Taylor
  • "I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart; I am, I am, I am."— Sylvia Plath
  • "The root of all health is in the brain. The trunk of it is in emotion. The branches and leaves are the body. The flower of health blooms when all parts work together."— Kurdish Saying
  • "Peace begins with a smile."— Mother Teresa
  • "The awareness that we cultivate is what makes yoga a practice, rather than a task or a goal to be completed. Your body will most likely become much more flexible by doing yoga, and so will your mind."— Cyndi Lee
  • "Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home... it's your responsibility to love it, or change it."— Chuck Palahniuk
  • "Find a place inside where there is joy, and the joy will burn out the pain."— Joseph Campbell
  • "Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor."— Thich Nhat Hanh
  • "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."— Helen Keller
  • "Take care of your body, it's the only place you have to live."— Jim Rohn
  • "Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured."— B.K.S. Iyengar
  • "For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth."— Sanskrit Proverb
  • "Reduce the stress levels in your life through relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and exercise. You'll look and feel way better for it."— Suzanne Somers
  • "Beauty is whatever gives joy."— Edna St. Vincent Millay
  • "Grateful souls focus on the happiness and abundance present in their lives and this in turn attracts more abundance and joy towards them."— Stephen Richards
  • "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative efforts."— Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • "Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace."— Buddha
  • "While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart."— Francis of Assisi
  • "A healthy outside starts from the inside."— Robert Urich
  • "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."— Denis Waitley
  • "Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success."— Swami Sivananda
  • "Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again."— Thich Nhat Hahn
  • "If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath."— Amit Ray
  • “Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow.” — Catherynne M. Valente
  • "Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one's being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union- the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one's actions."
    — B.K.S. Iyengar, Astadala Yogamala
  • "Half an hour's meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed."— Saint Francis de Sales
  • "Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."— Buddha
  • "Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretense."— Marcus Aurelius
  • "The wisest one-word sentence? Breathe."— Amit Ray
  • "The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace."— Carlos Santana
  • "The walls we build around us keep sadness out also keeps out the joy."— Jim Rohn
  • "Being aware of your fear is smart. Overcoming it is the mark of a successful person."— Seth Godin
  • “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” — Thich Nhat Hahn
  • "When there are thoughts, it is distraction; when there are no thoughts, it is meditation."— Ramana Maharshi
  • "Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation."— Michael Jackson
  • "The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships."— T.K.V. Desikachar
  • "Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."— Ronald Reagan
  • "With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment."— Nhat Hanh
  • "Psychology, unlike chemistry, unlike algebra, unlike literature, is an owner's manual for your own mind. It's a guide for life. What could be more important than grounding young people in the scientific information that they need to live happy, healthy, productive lives? To have good relationships?"— Daniel Goldstein
  • "I wake up every day and I think. "I'm breathing! It's a good day.""— Eve Ensler
  • "To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him."— Buddha
  • "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."— Jimi Hendrix
  • "The first recipe for happiness is: avoid too lengthy meditation on the past."— Andre Maurois
  • "The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."— Thich Nhat Hahn
  • "Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity."— Thich Nhat Hanh
  • "The purpose of psychology is to give us a completely different idea of the things we know best."— Paul Valery
  • "As long as I am breathing, in my eyes, I am just beginning."— Criss Jami
  • "A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live."— Bertrand Russell
  • "Mindfulness helps us freeze the frame so that we can become aware of our sensations and experiences as they are, without the distorting coloration of socially conditioned responses or habitual reactions."— Henepola Gunaratana
  • "First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others."— Thomas A Kempis
  • "Yoga is not about self-improvement, it's about self-acceptance."— Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
  • "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."— Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • "Focusing on the act of breathing clears the mind of all daily distractions and clears our energy enabling us to better connect with the Spirit within."— Author Unknown
  • "Best of all is it to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song."— Konrad von Gesner
  • "Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."— John Milton
  • "Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding."— Albert Einstein
  • "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly."— Siddartha Guatama Buddha
  • "Listen, are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?"— Mary Oliver
  • "If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."— Frank A. Clark
  • "First keep peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others."— Thomas A Kempis
  • "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."— John F. Kennedy
  • "True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united."— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
  • "We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."— Dalai Lama

Lisa Ham, RYT-200

Lisa began practicing Yoga after a transformative first class in 1997 with Yoga pioneer Carolyn Heines. She completed her 200 level yoga teacher training with Sandra Carden in 2008, and has been teaching students and faculty/staff at Grand Valley State University since then.

As a Yoga instructor, she encourages an intentional practice that integrates gentle movement with attention to alignment, breath work, relaxation, and meditation. Her teaching style has been influenced by teachers and mentors Sandra Carden, Pam Fenton, Amy Weintraub, and Carol Hendershot. Lisa is especially interested in introducing yoga to those who think it is beyond their abilities. It has been Lisa’s experience that the physical, emotional, and spiritual limits that we place on our bodies, minds, and hearts can open and expand in marvelous ways when we practice Yoga. She hopes that everyone will try it!

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