Quotes to Motivate Your Yoga Practice
We all have a little yogi in us!
The very start of my yogi journey was so long ago, I can hardly remember what prompted it. I do, however, remember taking on every class as if it was the “yoga championship”. Coming from an athletic family and background, I felt as though I suddenly had so much to prove. I had to be the best in every class, nailing poses and taking those extra challenges teachers offered. Modifications? Don’t know her! So my instructor and guru started sending me inspirational quotes to motivate your yoga practice.
Then some point in the journey, I began flowing with so much more intention. Shifting my focus from achieving to breathing changed everything in my practice. Now looking back, I believe I had to begin with this competitive nature in order to continue showing up and maintaining presence. Each time I came to the mat, regardless of what got me there, I had to stay entirely in the moment to improve. This meant I also found a new level of peace and presence within my practice every single class.
Eventually, I discovered that there’s never anything to prove in yoga.
Yet, we have everything to gain.
Taking your yoga practice to the next level looks different for every yogi. Some of us are looking to gain more flexibility both on and off the mat. Some are aiming to further heal in body, mind and spirit. And others are simply hoping to get a good sweat on! Regardless of your motives, a yogi’s practice thrives on intention.
For all yogis looking to up their yoga game, the quotes ahead have been picked to help you create an intention for each practice. May you find inspiration, self-trust and commitment through these words. And above all, may you flow happily through your daily practice! I hope these quotes to motivate your yoga practice create healing, shaping, and inspiration for you to become the best yogi you can be!
“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” — The Bhagavad Gita
Balance
“Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.”—Thomas Kinkade
“I do find that there’s a fine balance between preparation and seeing what happens naturally.” —Timothee Chalamet
“The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.”—Euripides
“Focus on being balanced – success is balance.”—Laila Ali
“Throughout the infinite, the forces are in a perfect balance, and hence the energy of a single thought may determine the motion of a universe.” —Nikola Tesla
Self-love
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.”—Charles Bukowski
“I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.”—Brené Brown
“Don’t worry if people think you’re crazy. You are crazy. You have that kind of intoxicating insanity that lets other people dream outside of the lines and become who they’re destined to be.”―Jennifer Elisabeth
“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”—Ruth Bader Ginsberg
“I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.”―Sylvia Plath
Presence
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” —Buddha
“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”—Cesare Pavese
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” —Lao Tzu
“The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at the moment. That’s all there ever is.” – Eckhart Tolle
“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is to be present in the present. Gratefully.” – Maya Angelou
Dedication
“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”—Vince Lombardi
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” —Booker T. Washington
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”—Albert Schweitzer
“Success is about dedication. You may not be where you want to be or do what you want to do when you’re on the journey. But you’ve got to be willing to have vision and foresight that leads you to an incredible end.”—Usher
“I’ve always believed that success for anyone is all about drive, dedication, and desire, but for me, it’s also been about confidence and faith.”—Stephen Curry