Yoga is a practice that can be meditative, calming, and even spiritual. The practice of yoga has a long history, dating back thousands of years. It has been formally studied, taught and practiced for so long that it’s hard to imagine how it could have emerged from the mind of just one person.
The purpose of yoga is to achieve a balance between our physical and spiritual selves through the practice of asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, and diet. The goal is not just to feel better—it’s to bring about a change in how we think about ourselves and how we relate to the world around us.
That’s why yoga is such an effective tool for developing focus, strength, flexibility and balance. It teaches us how to be present in each moment without getting caught up in thoughts about what needs doing next or what might happen later that day; instead, it gives us time to really focus on what’s happening right now so that we can take action on what matters most — whatever comes up for us during our practice!
The best part about yoga is that it’s always changing—it’s always evolving with new techniques and insights into what makes us feel strong, balanced and connected with ourselves.
- “Yoga begins right where I am – not where I was yesterday or where I long to be.” ― Linda Sparrowe
- “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
- “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
- “Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.” — Jigar Gor
- “Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is.” — Richard Freeman
- “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
- “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
- “Yoga is the ultimate practice. It simultaneously stimulates our inner light and quiets our overactive minds. It is both energy and rest. Yin and Yang. We feel the burn and find our bliss.” — Elise Joan
- “Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength and beauty to body, mind and soul.” — Amit Ray
- “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
- “Calming the mind is yoga. Not just standing on the head.” — Swami Satchidananda
- “If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself.” — Becca Lee
- “The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.” —Yogi Bhajan
- “There is always room for change, but you have to be open to that change.” — Kathryn Budig
- “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” — The Bhagavad Gita
- “Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are.” ― Erich Schiffmann
- “Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.” — Patañjali
- “To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes.” — Pema Chödrön
- “The very heart of yoga practice is abhyasa – steady effort in the direction you want to go.” — Sally Kempton
- “Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” — Etty Hillesum
- “If you fall over, you fall over. If you have to stop, you stop. But you start again. Just like life itself, you start again.” — Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
- “That’s why it’s called a practice. We have to practice a practice if it is to be of value.” — Peace Pilgrim
- “It is only when the mind is free from the old that it meets everything anew, and in that there is joy.”― Jiddu Krishnamurti
- “At this moment, you are seamlessly flowing with the cosmos. There is no difference between your breathing and the breathing of the rain forest, between your bloodstream and the world’s rivers, between your bones and the chalk cliffs of Dover.” ― Deepak Chopra
- “All kidding aside, if everyone did yoga, we would have world peace.” — Rory Freedman
- “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
- “Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” — Svātmārāma
- “What you think, you become.” — Buddha
- “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
- “Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body.” — Mariel Hemingway
- “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
- “You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer
- “It is indeed true that by practicing yoga we gradually improve our ability to concentrate and to be independent. We improve our health, our relationships, and everything we do.” ― T.K.V. Desikachar
- “Go from a human being doing yoga to a human being yoga.” — Baron Baptiste
- “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
