Last Updated on February 18, 2021
It’s only half a year ago that I’ve started involuntarily with some hatha-yoga classes. What can I say…Now I am absolutely hooked and so grateful that I dedicate this page to the 96 best inspirational yoga quotes ever.
I hope you enjoy the following sayings as much as I do. They originate from the mouths of well-known personalities or famous people whose wisdom could have been of “yogic” origin.
And if you are curious to know why and how I’ve started this wonderful journey to myself make sure to read until the end of this blog post. Hint: It was love at the second glance;)
Practice quotes
Rodney Yee
“The very heart of yoga practice is ‘abyhasa’ – steady effort in the direction you want to go.”
Sally Kempton
“That’s why it’s called a practice. We have to practice a practice if it is to be of value.”
Peace Pilgrim
“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.”
Thomas Jefferson
“It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
“Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.”
B.K.S Lyengar
Energy and strength
Amit Ray
“Each asana is like a piece of music that has a certain characteristic, a certain power.”
Laura Huxley
“Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self-control. Energy within and energy without.”
Ymber Delecto
“The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.”
B.K.S Iyengar
“Yoga is at the core of my health and wellness routine; even if it’s only for 10 to 15 minutes I find it helps me to re-center and to focus as well as improve my overall core strength.”
Miranda Kerr
“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.”
Tony Robbins
“You may not be able to control the whole world, but you may learn to control your inner world through yoga.”
Debasish Mridha
“It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of liberation in the mud of ignorant body building.”
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
“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
Calm your mind & letting go
Swami Satchidananda
“The soul is here for its own joy.”
Rumi
“Body is not stiff. Mind is stiff.”
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
“The brain is the hardest part of the body to adjust in asanas.”
B.K.S. Iyengar
“Letting go is the hardest asana.”
Anonymous
“Yoga is not about tightening your ass. It’s about getting your head out of it.”
Eric Paskel
“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”
Guy Finley
“Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.”
Patanjali
“True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”
William Penn
“Meditation is really letting go of all the thought processes or ‘mind traffic’ that gets in the way of just whatever is between you and space and consciousness.”
Trudie Styler
“Yoga is a dance between control and surrender — between pushing and letting go — and when to push and to let go becomes part of the creative process, part of the open-ended exploration of your well-being.”
Joel Kramer
Lifelong learning
Jigar Gor
“My biggest struggles have been my biggest teachers.”
Kathryn Buding
“Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.”
Jason Crandell
When you discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough to make room for it in your life.
Jean Shinoda Bolen
“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, Yoga for Emotional Balance
Further reading: 77 explore learning quotes and famous education sayings
Peace quotes
Rory Freedman
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”
Peace Pilgrim
“Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.”
Unknown
“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
Zen Shin
Wise words about attention and awareness
Cyndi Lee
“You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.”
Wayne Dyer
“Life is like a tree and its root is consciousness. Therefore, once we tend the root, the tree as a whole will be healthy.” Deepak Chopra
“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 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
Further reading: motivational quotes on positive mental attitude
Listen to your body
Mariel Hemingway
“Your body hears everything your mind says.”
Naomi Judd
“It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity.”
B.K.S. Lyengar
“Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.”
Patanjali
“Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is.”
Richard Freeman
“In a disordered mind, as in a disordered body, soundness of health is impossible.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
“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
“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
Further reading: 43 inspirational water quotes and sayings
Quotes about love and self-love
Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
“If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself.”
Becca Lee
Further reading: 57 best self-love and self-esteem quotes
“Treat your soul with care. It is your bosom friend. Feed and nurture it with love.”
Ashourina Yalda
“I am confident that nobody will accuse me of selfishness if I ask to spend time, while I am still in good health, with my family, my friends and also with myself.”
Nelson Mandela
“I’ve always loved yoga because you get to connect to a deep religious truth while stretching your legs.”
Katya Zamolodchikova
“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
Further reading: 78 cute love quotes for her and him
Quotes on balance
Rachel Brathen, Yoga Girl
“Hatha Yoga teaches us to use the body as the bow, asana as the arrow, and the soul the target.”
B.K.S. Iyengar
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
Socrates
“Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health.”
Julia Child
“In an asana, the mind has to reach inside the body to find a quiet space until a point comes where perfect balance is felt.”
Geeta Iyengar
“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
Quotes about breath
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
“Always first draw fresh breath after outbursts of vanity and complacency.”
Franz Kafka
“Fear is excitement without breath.”
Robert Heller
“Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“An instructor once told me that when there’s resistence in your body, it’s only because of the resistence in your mind. It’s about getting inside the pose. Being the breath.”
Lisa Bonet
“To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”
William Londen
“There is no doubt that breath control is the means for mind control because the mind, like breath, is a part of air; because the nature of mobility is common to both; because the place of origin is the same for both; and because when one of them is controlled, the other gets controlled.”
Ramana Maharshi
“When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.”
B.K.S. Iyengar
“Like the practice of breath control, meditation on the forms of God, repetition of mantras, food restrictions, etc., are but aids for rendering the mind quiescent.”
Ramana Maharshi
Inspiring sayings about the “here and now” + gratitude thoughts
Sushil Singh
“The future depends on what we do in the present.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.”
Abraham Maslow
“Yoga reveals to you the beauty of mindfulness and takes you into the essence of an endless present moment.”
Debasish Mridha
“The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.”
Yogi Bhajan
Further reading: 85 best quotes on thanksgiving and gratitude
Quotes about life
“Yoga is not just repetition of few postures – it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.”
Amit Ray
“Let your practice be a celebration of life.”
Seido lee deBarros
“What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.”
Henry David Thoreau
“Once you’re in touch with the life force around us, it’s natural to want to help keep it around.”
Adi Carter
“Yoga does not remove us from the reality or responsibilities of everyday life but rather places our feet firmly and resolutely in the practical ground of experience. We don’t transcend our lives; we return to the life we left behind in the hopes of something better.”
Donna Farhi
“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, Fire of Love
“…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
Further reading: 150 positive life quotes on love, happiness, and success.
Quotes on happiness
Kelsang Gyatso
“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
“Give a man health and a course to steer, and he’ll never stop to trouble about whether he’s happy or not.”
George Bernard Shaw
“The happiness which comes from long practice, which leads to the end of suffering, which at first is like poison, but at last like nectar – this kind of happiness arises from the serenity of one’s own mind.”
The Bhagavad Gita
“I learned a few years ago that balance is the key to a happy and successful life, and a huge part of achieving that balance is to instill rituals into your everyday life – a nutritious balanced diet, daily exercise, time for yourself through meditation, reading, journaling, yoga, daily reflection, and setting goals.”
Gretchen Bleiler
Further reading: 100 happy quotes to unlock happiness within you
Quotes about change and transformation
B.K.S Iyengar
“For those wounded by civilization, yoga is the most healing salve.”
T. Guillemets
“Yoga does not transform the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”
B.K.S. Lyengar
Further reading: 91 good habits quotes about transformation and change
Meditation
Tom Robbins
“During meditation your metabolism and your breath rate go down to a level of rest, twice that of deep sleep.”
Mike Love
“Solitude, in the sense of being often alone, is essential to any depth of meditation or of character and solitude in the presence of natural beauty and grandeur, is the cradle of thought and aspirations which are not only good for the individual, but which society could ill do without.”
John Stuart Mill
“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
“Watch for good times to retreat into yourself. Frequently meditate on how good God is to you.”
Thomas a Kempis, quoted in the LDS Church News 8/20/2005
“Meditation has been defined as the cessation of active eternal thought.”
H Hahn Blavatsky
Further reading: 72 best relax and sleep quotes
How everything started
Still reading? Ok, here is my personal story. Some years ago I’ve took a few hours in a professional yoga school. While it was a great experience, sadly this wonderful habit never stuck with me. Maybe it was due to the fact that the classes took place on Sunday morning and I had to drive 30 minutes to town. Also I felt that the way the teacher presented the asanas was too “calm” for me. I’ve missed a certain dynamic. By then I thought that this kind of “slow motion exercise” is nothing for me.
Things changed in autumn last year. My hubby had payed for a 10-hour hatha-yoga course in our gym nearby (just a 8-minute walk away). After 2 hours he had to stop because he needed a small, over-due wrist surgery. In conesequence I took over his course without huge expectations. How wrong was I! Right from the beginning I was impressed. The yogini has a special voice and a certain approach which very much resonates with me. Also I love the fast repetition of certain asanas which result in a flow like feeling.
Botom line: Even if you’ve tried it and you think this “meditation in motion” might not be something for you, don’t give up too early. If you are not happy in one class, try it again with a different one. Often the change of the yogi or yogini can have a huge impact. In my opinion there must be a class for anybody.