Sometimes, all it takes is a few simple words to shift your focus and help you feel more grounded. That’s why I love collecting yoga quotes; they remind me to breathe, be present, and stay kind to myself.
In this post, I’ve put together some of my favorite quotes from teachers, ancient texts, and everyday wisdom. These aren’t just nice sayings, they’re words you can carry with you on and off the mat.
You’ll find quotes to help you stay calm, feel strong, and keep moving through the tough stuff.
Use them in your journal, during practice, as a yoga quote of the day, or just as quiet reminders when life feels busy. I hope a few of them speak to you, too.
Yoga Quotes to Change Your Practice and Mindset
Sometimes you need quick inspiration before stepping onto your mat. These fifteen quotes capture the heart of yoga practice.
- “Yoga is the path of the self, through the self, to the self.” — Bhagavad Gita
- “Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
- “True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life.” — Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
- “The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” — Sakyong Mipham
- “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” — Buddha
- “The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.” — Yogi Bhajan
- “The yoga pose you avoid the most, you need the most.”
- “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
- “Yoga is a mirror to look at ourselves from within.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
- “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” — Jason Crandell
- “Yoga is not about being good at something. Yoga is about being good to yourself.”
- “The goal of yoga is to calm the mind, that without distortion it may hear the infallible counsel of the Inner Voice.” — Paramahansa Yogananda
- “Yoga is essentially a practice for your soul, working through the medium of your body.” — Tara Fraser
- “Where there is yoga, there is prosperity, success, freedom and bliss.” — Bhagavad Gita
- “Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul.” — Amit Ray
Mindfulness Quotes for Staying in the Moment
These quotes help you focus on the present moment. They remind you that yoga starts with awareness.
- “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
- “Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind.” — Patanjali
- “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.” — T.K.V. Desikachar
- “Be where you are, not where you think you should be.”
- “Yoga begins right where I am – not where I was yesterday or where I long to be.” — Linda Sparrowe
- “Inhale the future, exhale the past.”
- “Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.” — Robin Sharma
- “Mindfulness isn’t difficult. We just need to remember to do it.” — Sharon Salzberg
- “When you listen to yourself, everything comes naturally.” — Géraldine Lethenet
- “Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.” — Jigar Gor
- “Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the mind.” — Patanjali
- “A photographer gets people to pose for him. A yoga instructor gets people to pose for themselves.” — T. Guillemets
- “In stillness, the world is restored.” — Lao Tzu
- “Meditation is a way for nourishing and blossoming the divinity within you.” — Amit Ray
- “Silence is not empty. It’s full of answers.”
- “Yoga is paying attention. It’s about presence.” — Rodney Yee
Strength and Resilience: Quotes for Building Inner Power
When poses get challenging, these quotes remind you of your inner strength. They help you stay committed to growth.
- “The pose begins when you want to leave it.” — Baron Baptiste
- “You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer
- “You are stronger than you think.”
- “Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move.” — Osho
- “The very heart of yoga practice is abhyasa – steady effort in the direction you want to go.” — Sally Kempton
- “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” — Japanese Proverb
- “Yoga is the effort to become more conscious.”
- “Yoga is not for the flexible. It’s for the willing.”
- “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” — Rikki Rogers
- “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” — Jim Rohn
- “Change is not something that we should fear. Rather, it is something that we should welcome.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
- “Your body can do it. It’s your mind you need to convince.”
- “Growth is uncomfortable because you’ve never been here before.”
- “Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body.” — Mariel Hemingway
- “Breathe through it, and release anything that does not serve you.”
- “The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul is the dance of life.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
Peace and Letting Go: Quotes for Finding Calm
These quotes guide you toward inner peace. They teach you the art of releasing what no longer serves you.
- “Letting go is the hardest asana.”
- “When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” — Peace Pilgrim
- “Yoga is a method to come to a nondreaming mind. Yoga is the science to be in the here and now.” — Osho
- “To perform every action artfully is yoga.” — Swami Kripalu
- “Calming the mind is yoga. Not just standing on the head.” — Swami Satchidananda
- “Within you, there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.” — Hermann Hesse
- “Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” — Etty Hillesum
- “Yoga is the space where flower blossoms.” — Amit Ray
- “Be a lotus. Let the beauty of your heart speak.” — Amit Ray
- “Yoga is the unifying art of transforming dharma into action.”
- “Slow down. You are doing fine. You are exactly where you need to be.”
- “Do your practice and all is coming.” — Sri Pattabhi Jois
- “Let go of your mind and then be mindful. Close your ears and listen.” — Rumi
- “In the waves of change, we find our true direction.”
- “Peace is not the destination. Peace is the path.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
- “The quieter you become, the more able you are to hear.” — Rumi
Quotes About Yoga’s Deeper Purpose
Yoga connects us to ourselves and others. These quotes remind you of the unity that yoga creates.
- “We are all just walking each other home.” — Ram Dass
- “The soul is here for its own joy.” — Rumi
- “Through sustained focus and meditation on our patterns, habits, and conditioning, we gain knowledge and awareness.” — Patanjali
- “Yoga is not just about what you do on the mat, it’s what you bring from it to the world.”
- “Yoga is the dance of every cell with the music of every breath that creates inner serenity and harmony.” — Debasish Mridha
- “Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish, and loneliness.” — Indra Devi
- “Namaste: the divine in me bows to the divine in you.”
- “Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.” — Bob Harper
- “Yoga is not about self-improvement, it’s about self-acceptance.” — Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
- “Yoga adds years to your life and life to your years.”
- “Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength and beauty to body, mind and soul.” — Amit Ray
- “Connection is why we’re here. It gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” — Brené Brown
- “The nature of yoga is to shine the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” — Jason Crandell
- “Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked.” — Desikachar
- “Yoga is a tool to help us remember our natural state of wholeness.”
- “The success of yoga lies not in the ability to attain the pose, but in how the practice impacts your daily life.”
How to Use These Quotes for Daily Yoga Inspiration
These quotes work best when you use them regularly. Here are simple ways to bring them into your life.
- Start each practice by reading one quote that speaks to you. Let it set your intention for the session.
- Write your favorite quote on your phone or on a sticky note. Place it where you’ll see it often.
- Use quotes as mantras during meditation. Repeat them silently as you breathe.
- Share quotes on social media to inspire others. Add your own thoughts about how they help you.
- If you teach yoga, open classes with meaningful quotes. They help students connect to their practice.
- Keep a few quotes in your journal. Write about how they relate to your daily experiences.
- Pick one quote each week to focus on. Notice how it changes your perspective throughout the week.
Final Thoughts
Yoga meets you where you are; on hard days, calm days, and everything in between. I hope these yoga quotes gave you something meaningful to hold onto, something that helps you feel steadier in your practice and daily life.
Sometimes a simple sentence is all it takes to shift how you feel or remind you of what matters. That’s what I love about quotes; they stay with you long after you hear them.
If any of these stood out, keep them close. Write them down. Share them with someone who might need them too.
And if you’re looking for more thoughtful ideas or quiet support, feel free to browse my other blogs. You might find just what you need next.
