We all want to be that “perfect yogi”.
The yogi whose skin glows like a baby and has a smile that’s practically tattooed on her face as she’s never felt any form of anger or frustration.
Despite our desire… It’s been one of those days (and yes, we all have them).
You feel so removed from your peaceful yoga state as your mind is racing around trying to organize the millions of things you “have to” accomplish before the sun sets.
Seeing as this is a struggle for every yogi, we’ve put together a list of the top 105 inspirational yoga quotes to help you find your peace.
Although we can’t guarantee these quotes will make you the perfect yogi, we know they can add a few rays of sunshine to your cloudy day!
105 Inspirational Yoga Quotes
The beauty of yoga is that no matter how long you hold your headstand or how deep into the splits you go, you can always push yourself forward.
It’s both a mental and physical practice.
What is our goal? A state of pure bliss, or enlightenment.
Use these inspirational yoga quotes to help guide you on your journey!
This compilation of quotes comes from some of the greatest yoga masters, practitioners, and influential poets from around the world! Learn more about each of the quoted authors at the bottom of this post.
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2. “Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”
3. “When you are far away from reality, your fantasy won’t work.”
4. “Expect nothing and appreciate everything”
― Unknown
5. “The peace of God is with them whose mind and soul are in harmony, who are free from desire and wrath, who know their own soul.”
7. “The very heart of yoga practice is abhyasa – steady effort in the direction you want to go.”
― Sally Kempton
8. “If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?”
9. “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.”
10. “It’s not life that matters, it’s the courage you bring to it.”
12. “Body is not stiff. Mind is stiff.”
13. “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”
14. “Only the minds born of meditation [the artificially created ones] are free from karmic impressions”
15. “Be inspired but not proud.”
17. “No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come.”
18. “If I’m losing balance in a pose, I stretch higher and God reaches down to steady me. It works every time, and not just in yoga.”
― Terri Guillemets
19. “It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.”
20. “Yoga is the art work of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul.”
22. “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.”
23. “The soul is here for its own joy.”
24. “Smiling is mouth yoga.”
25. “Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.”
27. “Make yourself so happy so that when others look at you they become happy too.”
28. “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.”
29. “There is only one reality, but there are many ways that reality can be interpreted.”
30. “The quality of our breath expresses our inner feelings.”
32. “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
33. “One of the fundamental principles of yoga: a small action done repeatedly can make an enormous difference.”
― Dr. Timothy McCall
34. “Yoga is for internal cleansing, not external exercising. Yoga means true self-knowledge.”
36. “Anyone can practice. Young man can practice. Old man can practice. Very old man can practice. Man who is sick, he can practice. Man who doesn’t have strength can practice. Except lazy people; lazy people can’t practice Ashtanga yoga.”
37. “Since the desire to live is eternal, impressions are also beginningless”
38. “Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked.”
39. “The hardness of a diamond is part of its usefulness, but its true value is in the light that shines through it.”
41. “The path of yoga is the path of self-discovery. As our self-image disintegrates, we contact our true self. Life becomes a great joy.”
42. “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
43. “Yoga is not just repetition of few postures – it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.”
45. “Yoga is possible for anybody who really wants it. Yoga is universal…. But don’t approach yoga with a business mind looking for worldly gain.”
46. “Open your hands if you want to be held.”
47. “Clinging to life, flowing by its own potency [due to past experience], exists even in the wise.”
48. “When the breath control is correct, mind control is possible.”
50. “Prayer without heart is a waste to time.”
51. “Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.”
52. “Do your practice and all is coming.”
54. “By cultivating attitudes of friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and disregard toward the wicked, the mind-stuff retains its undisturbed calmness.”
55. “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”
56. “It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence.”
57. “Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.”
59. “Where is the delusion when truth is known? Where is the disease when the mind is clear? Where is death when the Breath is controlled? Therefore surrender to Yoga.”
60. “Crying is one of the highest devotional songs. One who knows crying, knows spiritual practice. If you can cry with a pure heart, nothing else compares to such a prayer. Crying includes all the principles of Yoga.”
61. “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
62. “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”
63. “Creation is ready to serve you, if you just be you.”
64. “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.”
65. “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.”
67. “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.”
68. “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.”
69. “Ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred and clinging to bodily life are the five obstacles.”
71. “This yoga should be practiced with firm determination and perseverance, without any mental reservation or doubts.”
72. “Any action done with beauty and purity, and in complete harmony of body, mind and soul, is Art.”
73. “What you seek is seeking you.”
74. “Misconception occurs when knowledge of something is not based upon its true form.”
76. “The art of happiness is to serve all, and all shall serve you.”
77. “It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of liberation in the mud of ignorant body building.”
78. “Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
80. “An image that arises on hearing mere words without any reality [as its basis] is verbal delusion.”
81. “Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.”
82. “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built.”
83. “Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss.”
85. “I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul.”
86. “When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful.”
87. “You do not need to seek freedom in a different land, for it exists with your own body, heart, mind, and soul.”
89. “If your presence doesn’t work, neither will your word.”
90. “Remember the emphasis on the heart. The mind lives in doubt and the heart lives in trust. When you trust, suddenly you become centered.”
91. “Hope is not a prediction of the future, it’s a declaration of what is possible.”
92. “The union of nature and soul removes the veil of ignorance that covers our intelligence.”
94. “An object is known or unknown dependent on whether or not the mind gets colored by it”
95. “Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal.”
96. “There is nothing outside of us. It’s all in us.”
97. “When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.”
98. “Where there is love there is no question.”
99. “Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.”
100. “To conquer the unknown you must trust.”
101. “Once you’re in touch with the life force around us, it’s natural to want to help keep it around”
― Adi Carter
102. “The full ashtanga system practiced with devotion leads to freedom within one’s heart.”
103. “The purpose of life is to watch and experience living. To enjoy living every moment of it. And to live in environments, which are calm, quiet, slow, sophisticated, elegant. Just to be. Whether you are naked or you have a golden robe on you, that doesn’t make any difference. The ideal purpose of your life is that you are grateful – great and full – that you are alive, and you enjoy it.”
104. “Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”
Highlighted Authors from the Quotes Above:
Amit Ray is an author and spiritual master. He has written many books on yoga and meditation including: ‘Om Chanting and Meditation‘ and ‘Meditation: Insights and Inspiration‘. Read more about him here.
Amrit Desai is known as “one of the pioneers of the authentic teachings of yoga in the West”. He studied yoga from masters in India and moved to America in 1960. Learn more about his journey here.
B.K.S. Iyengar started Iyengar yoga. At 16 he was sent to study yoga under Sri T. Krishnamacharya (known as the father of modern yoga), and in just 2 years was sent to start teaching/preaching yoga! Learn more about this incredible yogi here.
Bhagavad Gita is an ancient Indian text that has become an extremely influential piece of literature in the Hindu religion. Literally translated, Bhagavad Gita means “The song of the Lord”. Learn more about the Bhagavad Gita here.
Buddha quoted above is the founder of Buddhist religion, however Buddha actually refers to any being who has reached a personal state of enlightenment. Buddha literally translated means “awakened one”, someone who is able to see things as they really are. Learn more here.
Dalai Lama is a Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of Tibet. The Buddhist believe he is a Bodhisattva, which are “enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity”. Learn more about him here.
Deepak Chopra, M.D. is a speaker and author of over 80 books, which focus on alternative medicine and mind-body healing. His doctorate is in internal medicine and endocrinology. Learn more about him here.
Dr. Timothy McCall is an internal medicine doctor and the medical editor for Yoga Journal. He is an influential/modern day yogi, and spreads the word of yoga by teaching a seminar (with his wife) called Yoga as Medicine. Learn more about him here.
Kripalvanandji was a Kundalini yoga master and extremely religious man. He spent many years traveling across India giving lectures. Read more here.
Osho was an Indian spiritual teacher. Despite the many books “written by” Osho, he actually spoke his word instead of writing it. He didn’t want any of his speeches to be for one person, so he had his speeches transcribed into a written story.
Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras are a staple of the practice of yoga. This text outlines all the teachings of yoga, in a short sentence structure. It is broken into 4 chapters. Learn more about this important text here.
Rumi was born in 1207, and is now claimed by 3 countries as their national poet. He spent most of his life inspired by a holy man names Shams, when Shams passed about Rumi fell into a deep depression and spewed out thousands of poems. These poems have inspired people around the world for decades, learn more here.
Sri Krisna Pattabhi Jois studied under yoga master Krishnamcharya, and is known for bringing the Ashtanga Vinyasa system to life. Learn more about him and Ashtanga here.
Svatmarama is the author of “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, which is the oldest known text on Hatha yoga (written in the 1400s). Learn more about him and this text here.
T. Krishnamacharya was a yoga master, Ayurvedic healer and teacher to many yoga masters. He is known as the “father of modern yoga”, and he introduced a more physically demanding practice to Hatha yoga. Learn more about him here.
T.K.V. Desikachar is the son and student of T. Krishnamacharya. He taught yoga based on Krishnamacharya’s method, and publish many books on yoga including “The Heart of Yoga“. Learn more about him here.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a spiritual leader and peace activist. His key teaching is that “through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment—the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world”. Learn more here.
Yogi Bhajan is known as the master of Kundalini yoga. He lived an inspiring life, including his journey of 325 miles by foot to guided his entire village of 7,000 people to safety (not to mention he was only 18)! Learn more about him here.
We hope these yoga quotes helped to inspire you and jump start your day! Let us know in the comments below which quote was your favorite and why!
Intro image courtesy of: Ian Bothwell
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