The ancient science of yoga has endured extensive evolution and is deeply rooted in our modern world – more relevant, needed and sought than ever.
Yoga nurtures the body and the mind, cultivates resilience and health, builds physical strength and flexibility, guides spiritual and intellectual growth, informs our nervous system and our capacity to rest… And a beautiful part of the practice is self-study or svadhyaya, in Sanskrit.
Of course, self-study entails observing oneself. We also learn from the great masters, sages, saints, poets and current teachers who’ve left us their pearls of wisdom in the form of yoga inspirational quotes.
Through many different perspectives and ways with words, they all agree that yoga is not just exercise, movement, practice, breath or even meditation. It’s a lifestyle, a way of being – and we can all use motivation when it comes to living life to the fullest.
We hope these yoga quotes inspire you – on and off the mat.
In this article, we’ll share yoga sayings of ancient texts, departed gurus, living instructors and anonymous bits of brilliance about:
• Mind
• Body
• Presence• Change and Transformation
• Love and Light
• Flow
• Practice
• Meditation and Mindfulness
Mind
Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. – The Bhagavad Gita
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations; your consciousness expands in every direction; and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person than you ever dreamed yourself to be. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
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. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
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
Yoga is a method to come to a non-dreaming mind. Yoga is the science to be in the here and now. – Osho
Calming the mind is yoga. Not just standing on the head. – Swami Satchidananda
Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. – Indra Devi
Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak. – Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are. – Jason Crandell
Body
My body is my temple and asanas are my prayers. – B.K.S. Iyengar
Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees. – B.K.S. Iyengar
Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. – B.K.S. Iyengar
The soul reveals itself to itself. Through movement, energy-infused undulations and gestures. Of hand, foot, spine, face, and form. The invisible loves the visible. – Radiance Sutras
Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move. – Osho
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
My favourite action to teach is embodying Spirit. We don’t necessarily think of Spirit being connected to our cell tissue, but it can be. Learning how to spread your Spirit through that whole vast amount of space, into the dance of particles of the body and being able to feel it, is amazing. Sometimes, it begins a little quiver. That’s the start. – Ana Forrest
Presence
Your body exists in the past and your mind exists in the future. In yoga, they come together in the present. – B.K.S. Iyengar
Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty of all before you. The future will take care of itself. – Paramahansa Yogananda
Release from anguish comes with the personal acknowledgment and resolve: we are here together very briefly, so let us accept reality fully and take care of one another while we can. – Buddha
Stop and sink into this timeless moment. – Mooji
Yoga is a mirror to look at ourselves from within. – Anonymous
Every moment is a fresh beginning. – T.S. Eliot
Remember the emphasis on the heart. The mind lives in doubt and the heart lives in trust. When you trust, suddenly you become centred. – Osho
Yoga takes you into the present moment. The only place where life exists. – Anonymous
Yoga begins right where I am – not where I was yesterday or where I long to be. – Linda Sparrowe
Svadhyaya is about noticing and then reflecting on what you notice. It’s not really a prescription for change; it’s an invitation to discover who you already are so you can move forward with confidence and clarity. Becoming self-aware allows you to enter into a relationship with your past, but it also encourages you to be fully present to your interactions and reactions, as they are happening. There may be times in which what begins to surface proves to be too much to handle. That’s okay too. Acknowledge what’s coming up, bring it to light, and ask it for more time. – Seane Corn
In truth yoga doesn’t take time — it gives time. – Ganga White
I try to make my mood uplifting and peaceful, then watch the world around me reflect that mood. – Yaya DaCosta
When we actually bring a pause into our life, we can start to be more effective with our energy and with the use of our time. – Kia Miller
Samadhi, which translates to ‘neutral vision.’ Sama means ‘even’ or ‘neutral’, and dhi means ‘vision’ or ‘seeing.’ Neutral vision means to see without judging. No appreciating nor condemning; simply looking. – Baron Baptiste
The universe does this thing… where it aligns you with people, things, and situations that match the energy you put out. The more you improve yourself and raise your vibration, the more you will see things that are beneficial to your well-being. – ThinkGrowProsper
Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up. – Brené Brown
Change and Transformation
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
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. – Rumi
Listen my love, illumination is eternal. Now is always evolving. As there are billions of stars, there are billions of steps. As there are billions of souls, there are billions of ways to grow. – Rumi
You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life? – Rumi
Your word has the power to create reality. What you repeat to yourself, the universe will manifest. – Alberto Villoldo
The very heart of yoga practice is ‘abyhasa’ steady effort in the direction you want to go. – Sally Kempton
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. – Anais Nin
One is never afraid of the unknown. One is afraid of the known coming to an end. – Krishnamurti
Yoga is not about self-improvement, it’s about self-acceptance. – Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. – Lao Tzu
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting. – David Bowie
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
Love and Light
I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love. – Gandhi
Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the world. – Rumi
Have only love in your heart for others. The more you see the good in them, the more you will establish good in yourself. – Paramahansa Yogananda
Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. – Gandhi
You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Your shortcomings, your lack of self-esteem, physical perfection, or social and economic success—none of that matters. No one can take this love away from you, and it will always be here. – Ram Dass
May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all. – Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being. – Hafiz
Love the life you live. Live the life you love. – Bob Marley
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Lao Tzu
The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be. – Dalai Lama
Ignore the story and see the soul. And remember to love. You will never regret it. – Seane Corn
Flow
Those who flow how life flows, know they need no other force. – Lao Tzu
Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics. – Albert Einstein
Let love flow so that it cleanses the world. Then man can live in peace, instead of the state of turmoil he has created through his past ways of life, with all those material interests and earthly ambitions. – Sai Baba
Be the flow. – Jay Z
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. – Lao Zi
Yoga is the dance of every cell with the music of every breath that creates inner serenity and harmony. – Ewnetu Bereda
Practice
Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter your flame. – B.K.S. Iyengar
Follow your nature. The practise is really about uncovering your own pose; we have great respect for our teachers, but unless we can uncover our own pose in the moment, it’s not practise — it’s mimicry. Rest deeply in Savasana every day. Always enter that pratyahara (withdrawn state) every day. And 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
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
Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down. – Jigar Gor
Yoga is almost like music in a way; there’s no end to it. – Sting
To perform every action artfully is yoga. – Swami Kripalu
One of the fundamental principles of yoga: a small action done repeatedly can make an enormous difference. – Dr Timothy McCall
Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are. – Erich Schiffmann
You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state. – Sharon Gannon
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
Yoga 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
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
Meditation and Mindfulness
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. – Thich Nhat Hanh
Meditation can help us embrace our worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing. We let our own natural capacity of healing do the work. – Thich Nhat Hanh
Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. – Buddha
Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God. – Krishnamacharya
Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. – Thich Nhat Hanh
You are not your mind; You are your soul. – Alberto Villoldo
Enter the stillness of your soul. – Alberto Villoldo
Once you change your internal state, you don’t need the external world to provide you with a reason to feel joy, gratitude, appreciation, or any other elevated emotion. – Joe Dispenza
Yoga teaches us to live a happier, healthier, less reactive, more loving life — and to liberate ourselves and others. – Seane Corn
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. – Dalai Lama
Inspired to Start a Yoga Practice?
If you’re feeling motivated by these yoga inspirational quotes, why not build a daily yoga routine? Check out these great videos to get started!
