Quotes from Gudjon Bergmann

If people can be around each other doing co-human things—i.e., things that everyone does, such as eating food, helping others, creating, talking about the weather, etc.—and not feel threatened, anxieties are reduced, empathy is increased, trust is built, and perceptions are changed.

Philosophy has become the shadow of itself over the years. Nine parts history and one part reflection on history. It has been ages since anything original came forth in the field. All the good thinking has already been done. Nowadays, philosophers are mostly institutionalized academics—like me—focused more on the politics of tenure than on philosophizing.

Why lie, Robert? Why lie? You know that lying is the alcoholics kryptonite, you can't afford it, the reasonable voice in his head screamed.

It can be easy to forget the lessons of history, including the tragedies of war, and ramp up divisive and destructive rhetoric without concern for the consequences.

If you want to increase your self-confidence as a yoga teacher very fast – go out there, face your fears, and teach as much as you possibly can!

If a person accepts that she will stumble, fall, and even be struck down every now and then, then that is a constructive view because the person will be prepared. Preparedness is not the same as fatalism.

Moral growth corresponds with people's ability to see the world from an ever-increasing number of perspectives and act accordingly.

Without a tapestry of caring, civilization would collapse into a chaotic every-man-for-himself battlefield.

The masses are not happy enough to want more out of life and not unhappy enough to reject their way of living or want a better life.

Walk into any mosque, temple, church, or synagogue and you will find differing examples, different ways of interpreting God. The One True God is hard to find when a mishmash of human traits is constantly being projected.

Yoga teachers must be willing to step down from this imagined pedestal and utter the words "I don't know" on a regular basis.

By thinking mostly about everything that has gone wrong, is going wrong, and can possibly go wrong, the thinker is bound to end up in a lousy mental and emotional state.

Without action, we can relegate ideas about social harmony and bridge-building to the realm of wishful thinking.

It was in this atmosphere of war, heroism, and controversy that my wife's grandmother, Johanna Boel Sigurdardottir, met and fell in love with Samuel Emmett Hearn Jr. He was a gallant soldier, and she was a natural beauty.

As acrimony gets a tighter grip on democratic society, good people can either sit on the sidelines, debilitated by angst and daily distractions, or they can overcome indecision and work towards harmony.

The trans-rational spiritual approach is a simple concept with wide-ranging practical implications. There are three major components involved: (1) not denying rationality, (2) pursuing the experience of a peaceful internal state, and (3) allowing that inner peace to guide behavior.

During World War II, Iceland was a poor country with a total population of about 120,000 people. In contrast, the occupying U.S. force consisted of roughly 40,000 men—which meant that U.S. soldiers outnumbered adult Icelandic men—at least during the height of the occupation.

We, the willing, should practice the art of lifting the ideological veil and seeing co-humanity everywhere.

Short term goals are often based on dissatisfaction, and actions based on dissatisfaction will eventually lead to a life of unhappiness.

I have vivid memories of going to Pizza Hut and enjoying a thin crust pizza and a jug of Pepsi, and, getting high stacks of buttermilk pancakes with syrup.

The most powerful word in time management is NO.

It's a really simple formula: Your experience + Yoga = New Students.

There are two quick ways of connecting with people. Find a common interest or share a painful experience that people can relate to.