Yoga is chock-full of inspiring advice to motivate practitioners both on and off the mat, because, let’s face it, being zen all the time isn’t easy. Maybe it’s a bad day (or week) that’s got you down, or perhaps you’re just trying not to fall out of Warrior III – Either way, words have the power to shift our mindset and create a physical change.
Whether you’re a seasoned yoga or totally new to the practice, these 75 inspirational quotes will encourage you to roll out your mat and get your om on!
1. The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible is not the goal. Standing on your hands is not the goal. The goal is serenity. Balance. Truly finding peace in your own skin. — Rachel Brathen
2. Body is not stiff. Mind is stiff. — Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
3. Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome. For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they’re meant to be. — B.K.S Iyengar
4. Learning to be present with yourself and to abide in that which is steady and comfortable does not allow space for self-judgment. When you live this way, you are practicing yoga: you are living fully. — Judith Hanson
5. Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. — B.K.S. Iyengar
6. When we push for immediate results and instant healing, we never inhabit the important in-between phase, which is where much of the learning and growth actually happen. — Bo Forbes
7. Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. — The Bhagavad Gita
8. Let your practice be a celebration of life – Seido Lee DeBarros
9. Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are. — Jason Crandell
10. The nature of yoga is to shine the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body. — Jason Crandell
11. Yoga is not about self-improvement. It’s about self-acceptance. — Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
12. It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of liberation in the mud of ignorant bodybuilding. — Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
13. Yoga does not transform the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees. — B.K.S. Iyengar
14. Yoga is the unifying art of transforming dharma into action, be it through inspired thought, properly nurturing our children, a painting, a kindness or an act of peace that forever moves humanity forward. — Micheline Berry
15. The very heart of yoga practice is ‘abyhasa’ – steady effort in the direction you want to go. — Sally Kempton
17. To perform every action artfully is yoga. — Swami KripaluYoga is not a work-out, it is a work-in. And this is the point of spiritual practice; to make us teachable; to open up our hearts and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are. — Rolf Gates
18. The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness. — Sakyong Mipham
19. The soul is here for its own joy. — Rumi
20. Yoga reveals to you the beauty of mindfulness and takes you into the essence of an endless present moment. — Debasish Mridha
21. Here and now is where yoga begins. — Yoga Sutra
22. It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity. — B.K.S. Iyengar
23. Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength, and beauty to body, mind, and soul. — Amit Ray
24. In truth, yoga doesn’t take time – it gives time. — Ganga White
25. Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind and soul. — Amit Ray
26. The ultimate goal of yoga is to always observe things accurately, and therefore never act in a way that will make us regret our actions later. — T.K.V. Desikachar
27. There is always room for change, but you have to be open to that change. — Kathryn Budig
28. Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible. — Bob Harper
29. Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is. — Richard Freeman
30. For those wounded by civilization, yoga is the most healing salve. — T. Guillemets
31. Yoga is a dance between control and surrender — between pushing and letting go — and when to push and when to let go becomes part of the creative process, part of the open-ended exploration of your being. — Joel Kramer
32. Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory. — Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
33. If we practice yoga long enough, the practice changes to suit our needs. It’s important to acknowledge that the practice isn’t meant to be one practice for everybody. The beautiful thing about yoga is that there are so many different approaches. As we go through our life cycles, hopefully, we are able to find a practice that suits us. And if you practice yoga long enough, that will change many times. What exactly that looks like is going to be different for each person. — Tiffany Cruikshank
34. Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter your flame. — B.K.S. Iyengar
35. Most people have no idea how good their body is designed to feel. — Kevin Trudeau
36. My biggest struggles have been my biggest teachers. — Kathryn Budig
37. You may not be able to control the whole world, but you may learn to control your inner world through yoga. — Debasish Mridha
38. Yoga begins right where I am – not where I was yesterday or where I long to be. — Linda Sparrowe
39. Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked. – T. K. V. Desikachar
40. Self-discipline, self-study, and devotion are yoga in the form of action. — Yoga Sutra II
41. The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind. — Rodney Yee
42. I had discovered something; there was a pleasure in becoming something new. You could will yourself into a fresh shape. Now all I had to do was figure out how to do it out there, in my life. — Claire Dederer
43. A photographer gets people to pose for him. A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves. — T. Guillemets
44. Through sustained focus and meditation on our patterns, habits, and conditioning, we gain knowledge and understanding of our past and how we can change the patterns that aren’t serving us to live more freely and fully. — Yoga Sutra III.18
45. That’s exactly how it is in yoga. The places where you have the most resistance are actually the places that are going to be the areas of the greatest liberation. — Rodney Yee
46. Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions. — Pema Chodron
47. The asanas are useful maps to explore yourself, but they are not the territory. — Donna Farhi.
48. The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga. — Yogi Bhajan
49. When the breath control is correct, mind control is possible. — Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
50. Remember, it doesn’t matter how deep into a posture you go – what does matter is who you are when you get there. — Max Strom
51. Change only happens in the present moment. The past is already done. The future is just energy and intention. — Kino MacGregor
52. …just enjoy yourself. For many years I mistook discipline as ambition. Now I believe it to be more about consistency. Do get on the mat. Practice and life are not that different. — Judith Hanson Lasater
53. Balancing in yoga and life is a reflection of our inner state. Can we dance with change? Can we fall and try again with playfulness? Do we have the focus, skill, and attunement to find the still point within it all? – Shiva Rea
54. Yoga is the science of reality. — Sushil Singh
55. Move your joints every day. You have to find your own tricks. Bury your mind deep in your heart, and watch the body move by itself. — Sri Dharma Mittra
56. Once you’re in touch with the life force around us, it’s natural to want to help keep it around. — Adi Carter
57. I think it’s interesting that the opposite of being active in yoga is not being passive. It’s being receptive. — Cyndi Lee
58. In asana practice, we learn to cherish each breath, to cherish every cell in our bodies. The time we spend on the mat is love in action. — Rolf Gates
59. If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself. — Becca Lee
60. Treat your soul with care. It is your bosom friend. Feed and nurture it with love. — Ashourina Yalda
61. The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. — Socrates
62. Yoga is invigoration in relaxation, freedom in routine, confidence through self-control, energy within and energy without. — Ymber Delecto
63. True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied. — Aadil Palkhivala
64. When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others. — Peace Pilgrim
65. True meditation is about being fully present with everything that is–including discomfort and challenges. It is not an escape from life. — Craig Hamilton
66. Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body. — Mariel Hemingway
67. A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘Universe’ — a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings, as something separated from the rest— a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. — Albert Einstein
68. Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked. – Patañjali
69. Yoga is the space where flower blossoms. — Amit Ray
70. Practice makes comfort. Expand your experiences regularly so every stretch won’t feel like your first. — Gina Greenlee
71. Yoga makes you harmonious with nature and teaches you to be joyfully curious about your inner world. — Debasish Mridha
72. Yoga is a method to come to a nondreaming mind. Yoga is the science to be in the here and now. – Osho
73. Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self control. Energy within and energy without. — Ymber Delecto
74. All kidding aside, if everyone did yoga, we would have world peace. — Rory Freedman
75. Yoga is really trying to liberate us from shame about our bodies. To love your body is a very important thing – I think the health of your mind depends on your being able to love your body. — Rodney Yee
What's Your Reaction?
