Top 100 Yoga Quotes of All Time

A short, finished list rather than an endless feed: 100 of the best yoga quotes ever written, picked out of the full yoga archive on QuoteForever. You will find B.K.S. Iyengar, Frederick Lenz, Dharma Mittra and Gary Kraftsow among them.

Read the list top to bottom, or use it as a starting point - every author name links to everything else they said, and every quote has its own page you can share or turn into an image.

1

When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.

2

If I give Susan a new Cuisinart then she'll be happy ... If she's thankful to me, my life will be better ... she will do something for me.

3

I have written and spoken my thoughts over many years. Now I'm on new ground and spirit. I want to bring these together. Things like karma yoga, bhakti yoga, conscious dying, conscious aging. Consciousness.

Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working ... - Bill Gates 4

Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.

5

Yoga is the fountain of youth. You're only as young as your spine is flexible.

6

Have only love in your heart for others. The more you see the good in them, the more you will establish good in yourself.

7

The gift of learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this lifetime.

8

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.

9

I tend to do something for two years then move on to something new. Yoga, then biking, then weight lifting, then back to biking. The moment it feels like a rut, I switch and search for a new love. It's like having a midlife crisis, but without the new wife or cheesy BMW.

10

The practice of yoga induces a primary sense of measure and proportion. Reduced to our own body, our first instrument, we learn to play it, drawing from it maximum resonance and harmony.

11

The material body has a practical reality that is accessible. It is here and now, and we can do something with it. However, we must not forget that the innermost part of our being is also trying to help us. It wants to come out to the surface and express itself.

12

Yoga is nothing if it is not perfect harmonyof the body, senses, mind and intellect, reason, consciousness and self. When all these are integrated that is true yoga.

13

Being spiritual is a far more intelligent way to exist. It means being in tune with the intelligence of the Creator.

14

Yoga is a way to produce a chemistry of blissfulness. Once you are blissful by your own nature, you can deal with outside situations effortlessly.

15

Nowadays, people resort to all kinds of activities in order to calm themselves after a stressful event: performing yoga poses in a sauna, leaping off bridges while tied to a bungee, killing imaginary zombies with imaginary weapons, and so forth. But in Miss Penelope Lumley's day, it was universally understood that there is nothing like a nice cup of tea to settle one's nerves in the aftermath of an adventure- a practice many would find well worth reviving.

16

Yoga is not just repetition of few postures - it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.

17

Yoga takes you close to your true nature. Yoga with its techniques helps you to harmonize with nature. Peace is our very nature, and yoga leads you to inner peace

18

If you practice yoga every day with perseverance, you will be able to face the turmoil of life with steadiness and maturity.

19

There is no difference in our souls...That is what yoga teaches. When you and I meet together, we forget ourselves -- our cultures and classes. There are no divisions, and we talk mind to mind, soul to soul. We are no different in our deepest needs. We are all humans.

20

Yoga is more than physical. It is cellular, mental, intellectual and spiritual-it involves man in his entire being

21

As we shave it happens that we cut ourself with the razor blade; this does not mean that we must not shave in the morning any longer. It is the same thing for yoga.

22

When we smile, the muscles around our mouth are stretched and relaxed, just like doing yoga. Smiling is mouth yoga. We release the tension from our face as we smile. Others who run into us notice it, even strangers, and are likely to smile back. It is a wonderful chain reaction that we can initiate, touching the joy in anyone we encounter. Smiling is an ambassador of goodwill.

23

Sometimes, as we practice jnana yoga, we feel that life has no meaning, no purpose. We feel that there is no reason to try, that life is empty. This is another illusion.

24

You can enjoy the ideas of salvation, as long as you realize that there's no one to be saved.

25

Birth and death are illusions, they are part of the dream.

26

It is only in Samadhi that you'll begin to get an inkling of who you are; and finally, it is only in nirvana that this perfect truth will become clear.

27

The yoga of discrimination can never be put into words, since the entire yoga exists beyond words.

28

There are four principal pathways that lead to enlightement: The yoga of love, the yoga of service, the yoga of knowledge, and the yoga of mysticism.

29

Advanced yoga is not withdrawal from the world. That's a preliminary state.

30

The true miracle lies in our eagerness to allow, appreciate, and honor the uniqueness, and freedom of each sentient being to sing the song of their heart.

31

It is while practicing yoga asanas that you learn the art of adjustment.

32

Yoga is meant for the purification of body and its exploration as well as for the refinement of the mind.

33

As soon as a person starts thinking, 'I want to be a better person,' that is the start of Yoga.

34

When body, breath, and mind work together in harmony to achieve a spiritual goal, that is yoga.

35

Only when your consciousness is totally focused on the moment you are in can you receive whatever gift, lesson, or delight that moment has to offer.

36

I started teaching yoga in 1974 in Colorado, I was living in Winter Park, and I started teaching skiers. At that point I was teaching more of the Sivananda system and just pushing it up a little bit to make it a little more rajasic a little more active, a little more physical. People would come, and feel great, and by the time I left Colorado in 1980 I'd taught pretty much everyone in town - the ski patrol, ski instructors, the bar owners.

37

I think that yoga, it really is a process.

38

In yoga practice, over time you use fewer muscles more efficiently. Expansion does require energy, but it should not require a great deal of effort.

39

I thought yoga was easy - I went out and I bought a yoga video tape. I bought the beginners' yoga tape. I couldn't do anything on the whole hour - nothing - just fast forwarding: can't do that, can't do that - I know I can't do that. This woman in a soothing voice: 'Simply take the bottom of your right foot and place it on the small of your back.

40

Yoga doesn't want to change you - it wants to take care of you.

41

When I consider the deeper meaning of yoga, I realize it's about a lot more than simply performing a variety of postures on a mat.

42

Breathe in a smile; breathe out a chuckle. (You can do it.)

43

Climbing is a process - like yoga or running. We want to go to the spots where we're barely able to hold on. Those are the climbs that force us to become better athletes and grow as climbers.

44

Yoga is an integral part of my daily routine. That definitely helps me approach all aspects of my life from a place of mindfulness and clarity, through the meditation that usually accompanies this practice.

45

I practice yoga and breathing daily along with all the exercises on the instrument. I'm getting more and more monastic about it, especially when I'm on tour, because I'm making songs that are harder to perform all the time. So I no longer smoke and I drink a lot less on tour.

46

Ask yourself constantly, "What is the right thing to do?" Behave toward everyone as if receiving a great guest.

47

I exercise at home - light cardio and yoga.

48

I practice yoga at home to a TV show called 'Inhale,' taught by Steve Ross. I figured that if the people on the show could stretch that deep then I could too. I ended up pulling my hip flexor. But that's how I met my husband. Paul was the physical therapist my coach called to meet with me after hours.

49

Try to let go of the idea that you need to do yoga perfectly in order to see its benefits. Rather, let it be a process of waking up to who you really are. If you do this, you will know joy. And that joy will be your gift to a world that very much needs our healing.

50

I've tried many other styles of yoga, but nothing has ever given me the same centeredness, energy, and internal balance that I feel when practicing Ashtanga Yoga.

51

The Rig Veda defines yoga as a union or "yoking" of the material and spiritual worlds, and it doesn't describe any physical postures other than the traditional cross-legged meditation pose.

52

People become depressed when they neglect their spiritual practice.

53

Don't teach too many postures; just the main ones, and hold them for a long time.

54

If you offer them some sugarcane, even elephants can do this, sometimes on the first try.

55

Slowing down is the precursor to Yoga practice because this simple act allows us to consider our thoughts, feelings and actions more carefully in the light of our desire to live peacefully.

56

The asanas are useful maps to explore yourself, but they are not the territory.

57

Have I had therapy? I went to a yoga class once.

58

You can't wait for the end of your problems for you to be present. It has to be done whereever you are - which is now

59

It's very good for you, riding. You know how every model is like, 'I do yoga.' Well, I find horses to have the same effect, in that you have to put your ego aside and concentrate on making the horse do the things you want it to do, and move in the way you want it to move - particularly if you're doing dressage.

60

Buddhism is yoga. Yoga started, who knows when? A long time ago, when the first person found that they could still their thoughts and experience eternity and access the higher planes of mind.

61

Im obsessed with vinyasa flow yoga and Pilates. And since I live in Sweden, and we have good seafood, I tend to cook a lot of fish, preferably with oven-roasted veggies and a cauliflower mash.

62

Yoga teaching is that you're not your dark side or your woo-woo, you're pure awareness. Our job is to begin to gain that discrimination and insight so we can separate from our identification.

63

My degree was in Depth Psychology and Religion, so I can really speak directly about pop American psychology masquerading as Yoga.

64

Even before I knew Yoga in this life, I was into that kind of thing.

65

What I love most about yoga is that you can make it whatever you need it to be. For me, it's a time set aside to pay attention to the stress, concerns, and tension that may have infiltrated my system.

66

Physically, it completely changed me. I found strength that I never thought I had. And mentally, I mean, it's taught me just patience and letting go, and it's really changed my whole psychological outlook, I think.

67

Kundalini Yoga will dawn on you the secret of how to be Healthy, Happy and Holy.

68

Obviously a child can never conceive solitude if his parents aren't living it somewhere themselves. I don't mean that to be alone you have to get down on your knees for an hour in a yoga posture.

69

There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take the images outside them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself.

70

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food

71

My life is so tumultuous. I dive into everything. I'm feeling all up and down and sleepy and moody and hormonal - it just gets crazy. Just to keep myself balanced, I do things like yoga and meditation.

72

It seems nobody really talks about what we do with our emotional pain. Only the ascendant perhaps, who have learned how to fully meditate or do yoga or whatever through their emotional pain.

73

Mysticism—Magic and Yoga—is the means, therefore, to a new universal life, richer, greater and more full of resource than ever before, as free as sunlight, as gracious as the unfolding of a rose. It is for man (and woman) to take.

74

I try to stay sane and grounded by hunkering down, eating right, and exercising. I make a routine of spin class, yoga, and Pilates, places I push my body so hard I can lose my mind. Cutting out caffeine and sugar, being mindful, and getting enough rest are important.

75

There is no exception to the rule that every rule has an exception.

76

Music is my way to shine back and express positive vibrations for a common healing. It's similar to farming, or surfing, or yoga. Before world peace, we have to have inner peace and music helps us get there.

77

Yoga makes my day better as I am less likely to fall victim to my otherwise foolish & forgetful mind.

78

...if I don't look after my body, I'll have nowhere to live.

79

In the west we think of yoga as an exercise programme, when actually where it's from in India it's a whole philosophy. The Asanas and the exercise programme are one tiny aspect of it, and so it really, really fascinates me.

80

Yoga is for everyone. Personally I believe yoga would benefit anyone's life. It is such an amazing form of exercise and if you practice regularly it really slows your mind down and it helps you to get perspective. It keeps you incredibly fit and really flexible. It helps prevent ailments because you're working all the body.

81

Have you ever seen the stereotype of the angry yoga teacher? There are some people that are at an 11 and yoga takes them down to a nine. That's me.

82

I know everyone says they go to yoga, but I actually really go. I notice that helps me so much.

83

I've been really lucky. I didn't have any morning sickness and I've been off work for most of my pregnancy, so I've been able to do things like work out with a trainer and do prenatal yoga and all these things that have kept my body very agile and pain-free.

84

I love yoga in general. It's so important for me to incorporate it into my routine, it's important for my sanity!

85

Yoga changed my life. Have fun and work hard because it will totally pay off.

86

As a longtime practitioner of yoga and a person who's been involved in physical fitness my whole life, I can tell you, yoga helps you achieve altered states of consciousness. It is not just stretching. The only way you can say that it's stretching is if you haven't done it, or that you haven't done it rigorously for a long period of time.

87

Yoga really helped with stress relief and just not hurting myself when I tour. It really was super helpful.

88

There are certain ways in which I cultivate awareness, both through mindful yoga and taking care of my body and taking time to actually drop as deeply as possible into stillness, into whatever is unfolding in the present moment.

89

No one in the world was ever you before, with your particular gifts and abilities and possibilities.

90

At first you might find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred space and use it, eventually something will happen. Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again.

91

I believe that yoga should lead us to a place where kindness and compassion are instantaneous.

92

I think it's possible for all of us to use our yoga to distract us from our yoga. Because we get so caught up in the form that we forget the soul.

93

There are three types of disease: body disease, mind disease, and nervous system disease. When the mind is diseased, the whole body is diseased. The yoga scriptures say “Manayeva manu ā ā kara a bandha mok ayo (this verse may be transliterated incorrectly),” the mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation. If the mind is sick and sad, the whole body gets sick, and all is finished. So first you must give medicine to the mind. Mind medicine: that is yoga.

94

Yoga, as a way of life and a philosophy, can be practiced by anyone with inclination to undertake it, for yoga belongs to humanity as a whole. It is not the property of any one group or any one individual, but can be followed by any and all, in any corner of the globe, regardless of class, creed or religion.

95

He is the real Guru Who can reveal the form of the formless before your eyes; who teaches the simple path, without rites or ceremonies; Who does not make you close your doors, and hold your breath, and renounce the world; Who makes you perceive the Supreme Spirit whenever the mind attaches itself; Who teaches you to be still in the midst of all your activities. Fearless, always immersed in bliss, he keeps the spirit of yoga in the midst of enjoyments.

96

The quiet of the morning offers a perfect time to do a meditation and yoga practice. It also allows time to be creative or to contemplate before the business of the day.

97

My wife and I took a sabbatical and we went from Europe to India, where we lived in an ashram for six months and did meditation and yoga vigorously, like from 5:00 in the morning until 10:00 in the night in very austere circumstances. I think then my practice became less superficial, more like the traditional definition of what meditation was: to truly find oneness.

98

When I started, these [yoga] were very functional practices, as I said, productive to lose weight, or whatever, and now it has become a very spiritual kind of practice.

99

Yoga is just good for you.

100

It is important to meet people where they are. It reminds me of yoga, to which people may flock for the physical benefits, often to find that the spiritual benefits match or even outweigh them.

More Yoga quotes

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