BRENDA STRONG

I have such respect for guest actors. They don't know all the characters as deeply as the regulars, and the cast isn't your family, so you have more at stake.

My grandmother was the daughter of pioneers, as was my grandfather, and they were farmers. And they worked the land, and there is a grounded value system that becomes inherent in knowing what's real and what's powerful. And understanding the material nature of not only man, but beasts and profit and all of those things that you fight for.

I'm a Yogi and a tea drinker, and having a gun is the last thing that one would expect of me as a human being.

There are a lot of people who dream of overnight success, of being Brad Pitt getting discovered for 'Thelma and Louise,' but that doesn't always happen. I represent that stick-to-it-ness that it takes to build a career over time, guest spot by guest spot. Looking back from here, I wouldn't have wanted the journey to go any other way.

Yoga reduced my stress and bodily tension. It allowed me to bring my body back into balance, to emerge from my fertility struggle with my sense of self esteem and self worth intact, and to forge a stronger bond with my husband.

I think whenever you have a product you are always trying to improve it. Whether it is a commercial project out on the market or it's a creative collaboration, you are always looking to keep you audiences more engaged.

There's an integrity and a strength to women who have been raised in rough country.

I practice yoga even when my schedule doesn't allow me to teach. I've been practicing for 17 years, since before it became hip.

In life, when you start to fall, you don't have to go crazy, scolding yourself and further throwing yourself off balance. Instead, simply make adjustments.

I must have Haley Joel Osment as my agent, because he only sees dead parts

I realized that a tree never says, "I have too many branches." It simply digs deeper roots, expands itself to catch more light, and extends itself in multiple directions so as not to be unevenly weighted.

"Balance" as a verb doesn't mean "stillness," but the constant act of making minor corrections from one side to another to bring one towards a center of stability.

Until my Yoga practice became the great facilitator of all things in my life, the integration of career, purpose and motherhood felt like an unattainable dream.

I strove to maintain a spiritual practice, but since I was being pulled in so many directions, I couldn't seem to stay steady and grounded. I used to get overwhelmed when I thought about everything there was to do, and I was exhausted much of the time.

I have recently decided that there is no place in my head or my heart for fear anymore.

Nine times out of ten it's a minor shift in your focus and your attitude that makes the difference.

Being inundated with constant "bad" news from the media doesn't help.

I saw that all aspects of my life had been pulling me out of balance because I hadn't perceived them as part of a "whole," or the totality that was "me."

After all, if we are co-creators of our reality, as so many philosophies have espoused, then we have a say in how it is, how it goes and our participation in it, right?

As yogis, we are constantly exploring the world of duality, while being acutely aware of the unity of all things.

There is a push and a pull almost like an isometric stretch. Our literal flexibility and our physical, psychological and spiritual practices are more important now than ever to balance the boat.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest as a young girl, whenever I felt emotionally overwhelmed, I would take a walk in the woods. Being in the stillness and grandeur of trees had always calmed me.

I truly have come to believe that there are only two states of being that generate our thoughts: LOVE or FEAR.

Balance for me now means seeing myself as a tree, being strong enough in my roots and trunk to not be a pushover, but being flexible enough in every circumstance not to break. I am continuing to expand, but not any faster than my roots can support me.

It feels good to rail against what is wrong in the world, to fight the good fight, to beat the drum of making a difference. I am right there with you.