Yoga has taken over the Western world by storm. Existing in many forms today, it focuses on making lifestyle changes like modifying our diet, habits, attitudes, mindset etc., to lead a more peaceful and fulfilling life. Yoga improves strength, balance and flexibility. It helps you improve your health and serves to cure diseases to an extent. It helps children to improve their concentration and focus.
An ancient art that connects the mind and body, yoga helps us connect and keep control of our body and mind. International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on the 21st of June to spread the awareness of yoga all over the world.
A general rule of thumb is that yoga should be practised between two and five times per week to get satisfactory outcomes. Let’s read some quotes that state the importance of yoga.
Best yoga quotes
1. “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
2. “Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.” — Jigar Gor
3. “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
4. “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
5. “Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is.” — Richard Freeman
6. “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
7. “Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength and beauty to body, mind and soul.” — Amit Ray
8. “Calming the mind is yoga. Not just standing on the head.” — Swami Satchidananda
9. “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
10. “If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself.” — Becca Lee
11. “There is always room for change, but you have to be open to that change.” — Kathryn Budig
12. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
13. “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” — The Bhagavad Gita
14. “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
15. “Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are.” ― Erich Schiffmann
16. “The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.” —Yogi Bhajan
17. “Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.” — Patañjali
18. “The very heart of yoga practice is abhyasa – steady effort in the direction you want to go.” — Sally Kempton
19. “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
20. “It is only when the mind is free from the old that it meets everything anew, and in that there is joy.”― Jiddu Krishnamurti
21. “Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” — Etty Hillesum
22. “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
23. “All kidding aside, if everyone did yoga, we would have world peace.” — Rory Freedman
24. “Anyone who practices can obtain success in yoga but not one who is lazy. Constant practice alone is the secret of success.” — Svātmārāma
25. “That’s why it’s called a practice. We have to practice a practice if it is to be of value.” — Peace Pilgrim
26. “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
27. “What you think, you become.” — Buddha
28. “Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body.” — Mariel Hemingway
29. “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
30. “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
31. “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
32. “You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer
33. “Go from a human being doing yoga to a human being yoga.” — Baron Baptiste
34. “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
35. “Yoga begins right where I am – not where I was yesterday or where I long to be.” ― Linda Sparrowe
36. “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
37. “Exercises are like prose, whereas yoga is the poetry of movements. Once you understand the grammar of yoga; you can write your poetry of movements.” — Amit Ray
38. “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
39. “Yoga does not always cure stress. It neutralizes it through increasing awareness and by changing self-perception.” — Debasish Mridha
40. “The nature of yoga is to shine the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” — Jason Crandell
Quotes to inspire you to practice yoga
Many of us have some extra time where we can fit in our yoga session, but due to lethargy, we tend to skip it often. “Regular yoga practise creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration,” says Dr Nevins. Many yoga poses are inspired by nature and can help you to reap the benefits of grounding yourself in nature.
41. “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
42. “Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength and beauty to body, mind and soul.” –Amit Ray
43. “Most people have no idea how good their body is designed to feel.”-Kevin Trudeau
44. “Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.” ― Bob Harper
45. “Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked.” –Desikashar
46. “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
47. “I think it’s interesting that the opposite of being active in yoga is not being passive. It’s being receptive.” — Cyndi Lee
48. “If we practice yoga long enough, the practice changes to suit our needs. It’s important to acknowledge that the practice isn’t meant to be one practice for everybody. The beautiful thing about yoga is that there are so many different approaches. As we go through our life cycles, hopefully we are able to find a practice that suits us. And if you practice yoga long enough, that will change many times. What exactly that looks like is going to be different for each person.” ―Tiffany Cruikshank
49. “The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” — Sakyong Mipham
50. “When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” – Peace Pilgrim
51. “Yoga does not transform the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
52. “It feels good pulling on these muscles, it feels better than worrying about who is watching.” ― Alain Bremond-Torrent
Extremely popular and widely practised all over the world now, yoga is an approach to the well-being of mankind in general. This safe and beneficial practice is therapeutic and should be tried by us all to increase our happiness and self-confidence.
53. “Once you’re in touch with the life force around us, it’s natural to want to help keep it around.” — Adi Carter
54. “Learning to be present with yourself and to abide in that which is steady and comfortable does not allow space for self-judgment. When you live this way, you are practicing yoga: you are living fully.” ― Judith Hanson Lasater
55. “The pose begins when you want to get out of it.” — Baron Baptiste
