What does yoga mean to you?

Yoga means different things to different people. Quite often, when we ask a yoga teacher what yoga means, we are given a simple definition: "union". Leaving aside the typical translations of this ancient Sanskrit word, I embarked on a process of asking different yoga teachers what yoga meant to them. Here are the different responses collected over the last 30 days from yoga teachers all over the world.

INNER PEACE

"To me, yoga means finding my inner peace. It’s my way of finding my physical, mental and emotional well-being in order to be happy. It’s also finding harmony between my body and my mind. And most of all, it’s helped me to realize how everything is linked: our physical body, our mind, our breathing, and our emotions. You cannot “do” yoga, you are already yoga." - Anna Bachmann, France

WAY OF LIFE

"To me, yoga is a way of life. It is much more than a set of postures or exercises; it is a way to go within and go home to myself. It means attending not only to my physical, but also my emotional wellbeing. Yoga helped me when nothing else could help. It keeps me grounded and in the present moment, something that I never managed to do before starting this beautiful practice." - Beatrice Leone, UK

YOGA IS HOME

"Yoga is home. You are already there, you don’t need to go anywhere, you just need to look closer. And yet, you are free to go and explore, and you can always come back. Yoga is a journey. You don’t need money... you don’t need a passport... if you are afraid of flying, it doesn’t really matter. It takes a lifetime, but feels like a second. Yoga is union." - Branislava Malcovati, Denmark

TURNING INWARDS

"To me, yoga signifies the joining of the body, mind, and spirit. It is coming back into the present moment over and over again. It's learning to breathe when things get difficult. It's turning inward to discover the answers within you." - Chelsea Bolles, USA

BEING PRESENT

"Yoga means being able to be present with what is. No matter how uncomfortable I may feel. It affords us to see past what may seem limiting at the time. To open ourselves up to new ways of being. New ways of doing. It transcends both time and space. It creates space within to see clearly. To help us navigate the shifts and changes that are all around. To discern the truth. To experience what is real." - Denise Brandi, USA

FREEDOM AND EXPRESSION

"Yoga means freedom and expression of myself." - Elif Namli, Turkey

BECOMING A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF

"Yoga is my life. It’s the path to exploring and becoming a better version of myself and sharing that journey with all the people I have the pleasure of coming across. Yoga is my greatest passion, rooted deep in my heart. It's everything from the morning meditation, to the asanas, to the smile of my students after Savasana." - Elma Panagaki, USA

LOVING YOURSELF

"Yoga means loving yourself inside and out... embracing that inner part of you which is pure and unchanging via bringing more attention and care to the body." - Geena Lorenzo, USA

BALANCE, AWARENESS AND CONNECTION

"To me, yoga means balance, awareness, and connection within me and with others. It is a holistic way of living to me, with a purpose on Earth during my visit. It means to share with as many souls as possible the different ways to bring meaning into their lives, by being mindful, and conscious. By also being at ease, kind and grateful." - Jessica Zayas, USA

THE ME AND THE WE

"Yoga is about giving ourselves permission to be imperfectly human. It asks us to apply the tools and philosophies both on the mat and off of the mat... to more intentionally weave the knowledge into our consciousness so that we can live more presently, kindly, curiously and inspired. Yoga is all about the me and the we. Ultimately, yoga has taught me how I can compassionately exist in my own personal experience, but also how I can compassionately coexist with others and our planet at large." - Koren Kiener, USA

ALL ENCOMPASSING

"Yoga to me is all encompassing, a way of life and not just a physical practice, a way to access my inner self and be at peace with myself." - Lalitha Damodaran, India

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

"To me, yoga is the ultimate guide. This guide slowly awakens our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual potential. It is sacred knowledge that everyone can apply and develop to increase one's capacity for well-being. Yoga doesn’t know separation in human beings, only the mind does. Yoga unites all layers of our being while at the same time focuses on cleaning the subconscious programs that we need to remove from our body and mind. This is a must if we want to progress on our path." - Monja Svec, Serbia

LISTENING TO YOUR BODY

"Yoga is discovering the deep connection between the body and the mind. When you practice yoga, you create strength physically and mentally. At the point where you touch your yoga mat, your mind is starting to turn off... all that is left is the existence of the self. Later on, when you lay down in Shavasana you can analyze your yoga practice by listening to the signals that your body sends out. Then you can realize that yoga means experience. You will notice that you become happy, strong and blissful by practicing yoga." - Robin Straeter, Germany

LETTING GO AND SURRENDERING

"To me, yoga has been the best thing that ever happened to me. What we learn on the mat, we take with us when we leave the mat. It means facing our fears, our frustration, our anger sometimes. It also means surrendering. Which is the hardest thing to do. Letting go of our emotions, good or bad, letting go of our judgement – of others but also of ourselves - surrendering to the pose after we have done our best to get there. Surrendering to our breath. Surrendering to the present moment and letting go of our expectations. I never leave the mat the same way as I came to it. There is always a shift, whether it is physical or mental, or both." - Sandrine Rossi-Fornelli, France

DISCIPLINE

"Yoga is discipline for me... the zeal and enthusiasm to practice yoga determines the progress that one makes. " - Shilpa Pandey, India

DIALOGUE WITH SELF AND GOD

"Yoga is not religion... Yoga is not sport... Yoga is my unique and individual dialogue and interaction with self and with God.... The infinite and unforgettable path. The conscious and joyful journey. The sacred dance of body, mind and spirit. It is awakening, self-research, self-mastery, self-understanding, self-reflection, self-transformation, expression and contribution to the glorious spirit of divine Love, Light, Freedom, clarity, wonder, youth and beauty. It's my daily message and act of gratitude, happiness, celebration, learning, realization, easiness." - Svetlana Saenkova, Germany

As evidenced above, a singular definition of yoga is difficult to pinpoint. Its meaning is deeply personally for every devotee. But if there is one thing about yoga that is common to all practitioners, it is this: it is much more than a physical practice. Rather it is a spiritual practice with physical benefits.

Namaste!

Source of quotes: https://www.ayurooms.com/best-yoga-blogs.html