The wise thoughts of others can have a positive impact on our minds: we can find hope, comfort, motivation and encouragement in them. There are many yoga quotes that inspire me daily. I’m sharing some of my favourite ones that would have motivated not only me but numerous others as well:
“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
We all know that yoga is a natural way to improve health, enhance mobility & flexibility, and reduce pain. It’s a way to strengthen the body so that it fights disease and infirmity. With the help of yoga, we don’t have to resign ourselves to living with pain and stiffness – a common misconception after a certain age. Yoga is also known to help people being treated for cancer and other serious illnesses. This is what B. K. S. Iyengar, one of the best known yoga gurus ever, is talking about. His quote also talks about acknowledging our own limitations and learning to live with them. My readers may also want to check out my updates about Iyengar Chairs that can help us stretch, correct alignment, improve relaxation and more.
“Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind.” – Patanjali
Again, as we know, yoga is a holistic mind-body practice for a fit body as well as a healthy mind. Yoga encompasses breathing techniques and meditation that help us reduce stress, calm the mind, and balance our emotions. As we engage in the practice of yoga each day, we find ourselves becoming calmer and more balanced. This is something envisaged hundreds of years ago. When we think about it, it is incredible that the ancient sages were aware of this mind-body connect!
“Yoga takes you to the present moment. The only place where life exists.” – Unknown
Doing yoga is a deeply mindful activity, or at least it should be when we learn to do it the correct way. We learn to look within. We gradually become more centred and aware of ourselves, our thoughts, and emotions. We learn more about ourselves – about our abilities, limitations, apprehensions, fears, about things that elate us and make us joyful. We learn to speak mindfully, act mindfully and even eat mindfully. When mindfulness becomes a habit, we learn to inhabit each moment fully and we live life to the fullest. We find reserves of inner strength and can plumb creative abilities we didn’t even know we had!
“Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.” – Bob Harper
These are the words of a modern American personal trainer. They are indicative of how widely yoga has been embraced all over the world. The practice of yoga focuses on spinal health and flexibility to a very large extent. Modern medical science has also repeatedly stressed on the importance of good spinal health and a flexible body.
“Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.” – Jigar Gor
This quote is meaningful at two levels. Firstly, there is the physical level where you understand the level of your fitness (or lack of it) when you try to touch your toes. Secondly yoga teaches us about humility and about being connected to the Earth; being grounded. Since yoga is a spiritual experience as well, it helps us find balance, serenity, and peace within ourselves.
“Yoga is not to be performed; it is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about the person you have been; it cares about the person you are becoming.” – Aadil Palkhivala
As I have been explaining over the years via The Yoga Central Blog, yoga is a whole system that encompasses the physical mental and spiritual. Yoga is a prescription for living life itself. It teaches us about humility, compassion, temperance, moderation and more. It is about the process of self-improvement. It helps with the continual process of trying to become a better person, not just a fitter body.
“Anybody can breathe. Therefore, anybody can practice yoga.” – T. K. V. Desikachar
This quote is by highly regarded yoga instructor T. K. V. Desikachar, the son of one of the pioneers of yoga, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. This yoga quote speaks about yet another important aspect of yoga – the fact that it suitable for anyone. People of any age and fitness level can practice yoga, since it can be modified to suit each individual’s requirements.
Of course there are many more quotes about yoga. There are so many experienced and wise yoga gurus who have shared their insight over the years. The ones I listed above are just a small sample of the yoga quotes that inspire me daily; words and ideas to live by each day.