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Yoga for Word Nerds: 14 Favorite Yoga Quotes and Sayings

Yoga | Yoga for Beginners

I’m a fully fledged word nerd. And a yoga nut. So I bring my love of language to the mat.

To me, Sanskrit feels like the soul softly whispering wisdom, and I never fail to appreciate the unfamiliar, yet familiar sounds that roll off the tongues of teachers.

And since becoming a teacher myself, I’m enjoying learning a language that it somehow feels I’ve spoken before.

Chaturanga Dandasana sounds so much better than plank, Malasana somehow more inspiring than squatting. Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana sounds as complicated as ‘rotated separate leg forward fold’, not to mention Triang Mukha Ekapada Paschimottanasana’ or ‘three faced forward bend’.

On Meditative Monologues

While I love the sound of Sanskrit, I really appreciate teachers who dig deep to find meaning, who have delved into the ancient Vedic texts, who reflect on the lessons of the Buddha and Rumi, the Dalai Lama and modern gurus.

Elegant poses might inspire, but I love eloquent phrases, meditative monologues.

My favorite teachers don’t just instruct, they enlighten.~Kathy Kruger

From pithy pearls, to the practical and sometimes profound, I come to class for lessons in mastering life, as much as asana. Sometimes I hear the wisdom speak to me from within, other times I’m struck by something that’s said.

Here are a few of my favorite yoga quotes and sayings:

  1. “It’s yoga practice, not yoga perfect.”
    I’m not sure who coined this, but it’s a common one with my yoga teachers.
  2. “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
  3. “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” ~ B.K.S. Iyengar
  4. “The yoga pose you avoid the most, you need the most.” ~ Unknown
  5. “Yoga is an internal practice. The rest is just a circus.” ~ Sri Pattabhi Jois
  6. “That nature of yoga is to shine the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” ~ Jason Crandell
  7. “In any pose, the breakthrough comes not when you learn what to tighten, but when you learn what to relax.” ~ Bikram
  8. “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
  9. “A mind free from all disturbances is Yoga.” ~ Patanjali
  10. “The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.” ~ Yogi Bhajan
  11. “You cannot do yoga. Yoga is your natural state. What you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state.” ~ Sharon Gannon
  12. “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.” ~ Yoga Sutras
  13. “Don’t move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move.” ~ Osho
  14. “Don’t just do something—sit there!” ~ Unknown

What is your favorite yoga saying? Share with us in the comments below!

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