100 Best Yoga Teacher Quotes: A Journey Towards Inner Peace and Profound Purpose

100 Best Yoga Teacher Quotes: Yoga, an ancient practice that originated in India, has evolved over thousands of years and is now embraced by millions worldwide. This transformative journey is about more than just physical yoga exercises; it is a holistic approach to well-being that nurtures the body, mind, and soul. 

The wisdom of great yoga teachers, distilled into powerful quotes, can inspire, motivate, and guide us toward inner peace, self-discovery, and profound purpose. These teachers remind us that yoga transcends the poses we perform on the mat and touches every aspect of our lives.

In this collection of 100 best yoga teacher quotes, you will find a rich tapestry of insights, encouragement, and gentle reminders of what truly lies at the heart of yoga practice. May these wise words resonate with you as a yoga instructor or practitioner, illuminating your journey and helping you uncover the inner light of awareness within yourself as you embrace the beauty of the present moment.

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 1 to 10

Silhouette young woman practicing yoga on the beach at sunset tree pose inspired by yoga teacher quotes
"Yoga does not just change the way we see things; it transforms the person who sees." - B.K.S. Iyengar.
  • “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” – The Bhagavad Gita.
  • “Yoga is not about touching your toes; it’s about what you learn on the way down.” – Judith Hanson Lasater.
  • “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” – Jason Crandell.
  • “Yoga does not just change the way we see things; it transforms the person who sees.” – B.K.S. Iyengar.
  • “Yoga is not about self-improvement; it’s about self-acceptance.” – Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa.
  • “In the practice of yoga, one can emphasize the body, the mind, or the self, and hence the effort can never be fruitless.” – T.K.V. Desikachar.
  • “Yoga is not about tightening your ass. It’s about getting your head out of it.” – Eric Paskel.
  • “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” – B.K.S. Iyengar.
  • “Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions.” – Pema Chödrön.
  • “Yoga is not a workout; it is a work-in. And this is the point of spiritual practice; to make us teachable, to open up our hearts, and focus our awareness so that we can know what we already know and be who we already are.” – Rolf Gates.

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 11 to 20

Young man doing an ashtavakrasana. Hand standing (variant) inspirted by best yoga teacher quote
"Yoga is a powerful vehicle for change. As you build strength, you start to believe in your own potential." - Tiffany Cruikshank.
  • “Your soul is your best friend. Treat it with care, nurture it with growth, feed it with love.” – Amit Ray.
  • “Yoga is the dance of every cell with the music of every breath that creates inner serenity and harmony.” – Debasish Mridha.
  • “The nature of yoga is to shine the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” – Jason Crandell.
  • “Yoga takes you into the present moment, the only place where life exists.” – 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 and our relationships.” – T.K.V. Desikachar.
  • “The ultimate goal of yoga is to always observe things accurately, and therefore never act in a way that will make us regret our actions later.” – T.K.V. Desikachar.
  • “Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” – B.K.S. Iyengar.
  • “Yoga is a light, which, once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “Yoga is a powerful vehicle for change. As you build strength, you start to believe in your own potential.” – Tiffany Cruikshank.
  • “Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength, and beauty to body, mind, and soul.” – Amit Ray.

Best Yoga Teacher quotes 21 to 30

Silhouette of perfect body man act yoga on the rock with sea sunset background. inspired by yoga quote
"Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul." - Amit Ray
  • “In truth, yoga doesn’t take time – it gives time.” – Ganga White
  • “Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of body, mind, and soul.” – Amit Ray
  • “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “Do not think of yourself as a small, compressed, suffering thing. Think of yourself as graceful and expanding, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the time.” – Light on Life by B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “The very heart of yoga practice is abhyasa – steady effort in the direction you want to go.” – Sally Kempton
  • “Yoga begins with listening. When we listen, we are giving space to what is.” – Richard Freeman
  • “Yoga is not for the flexible. It’s for the willing.” – Anonymous
  • “The pose begins when you want to leave it.” – Baron Baptiste
  • “Yoga is the study of balance, and balance is the aim of all living creatures: it is our home.” – Rolf Gates
  • “Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.” – Bob Harper

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 31 to 40

Tattooed man siting in lotus posture in front of a water fall. reciting yoga quotes
"Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish, and loneliness." - Indra Devi
  • “Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind.” – Patanjali
  • “You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” – Mr. Yoga
  • “Yoga is the space where flower blossoms.” – Amit Ray
    “Yoga is the golden key that unlocks the door to peace, tranquillity, and joy.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “The attitude of gratitude is the highest yoga.” – Yogi Bhajan
  • “Yoga is a method for restraining the natural turbulence of thoughts, which otherwise impartially prevent all men, of all lands, from glimpsing their true nature of Spirit.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
  • “Yoga is a way to freedom. By its constant practice, we can free ourselves from fear, anguish, and loneliness.” – Indra Devi
  • “When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.” – Peace Pilgrim
  • “Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self-control. Energy within and energy without.” – Ymber Delecto
  • “The practice of Yoga brings us face to face with the extraordinary complexity of our own being.” – Sri Aurobindo

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 41 to 50

Young woman doing yoga in morning park near lake. Workout at the street. thinking about a yoga quote meditation
"Yoga is not about self-improvement; it's about self-acceptance." - Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
  • “Yoga is not about what you do. It is about how you do it.” – Adriene Mishler
  • “Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are.” – Erich Schiffmann
  • “Yoga is a light, which, once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “Yoga is not about self-improvement; it’s about self-acceptance.” – Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
  • “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” – Jason Crandell
  • “The purpose of yoga is to create strength, awareness, and harmony in both the mind and body.” – Natalie Nevins
  • “Yoga exists in the world because everything is linked.” – T.K.V. Desikachar
  • “The quality of our breath expresses our inner feelings.” – T.K.V. Desikachar
  • “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 and our relationships.” – T.K.V. Desikachar
  • “Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.” – Patanjali

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 51 to 60

woman doing exercises in the summer park
"The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind." - Rodney Yee
  • “Yoga is not about self-improvement; it’s about self-acceptance.” – Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa
  • “Change is not only inevitable but always happening. When you truly embrace this concept of change being constant, the only thing left to do is grow, detach, venture inwards, touch the spirit and find your source — the one responsible for keeping you grounded through the ever-changing seasons of life.” – Julie Weiland
  • “When you inhale, you are taking the strength from God. When you exhale, it represents the service you are giving to the world.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.” – Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
  • “Yoga is the journey of the self, to the self, through the self.” – The Bhagavad Gita
  • “Yoga is not just repetition of a few postures – it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.” – Amit Ray
  • “The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.” – Rodney Yee
  • “Yoga reveals to you the beauty of mindfulness and takes you into the essence of an endless present moment.” – Debasish Mridha
  • “The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” – Sakyong Mipham
  • “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 and our relationships.” – T.K.V. Desikachar

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 61 to 70

woman meditating over a yoga quote
"Yoga is not about tightening your ass. It's about getting your head out of it." - Eric Paskel
  • “Yoga is not a religion. It is a science, science of well-being, science of youthfulness, science of integrating body, mind, and soul.” – Amit Ray
  • “One becomes firmly established in practice only after attending to it for a long time, without interruption and with an attitude of devotion.” – Yoga Sutra I.14
  • “Yoga is a way to produce a chemistry of blissfulness. Once you are blissful by your own nature, you can deal with outside situations effortlessly.” – Sadhguru
  • “Yoga is not for the flexible. It’s for the willing.” – Anonymous
  • “The highest point of yesterday should be the lowest point of today.” – Sri Dharma Mittra
  • “Yoga is not about tightening your ass. It’s about getting your head out of it.” – Eric Paskel
  • “True yoga is not about the shape of your body, but the shape of your life. Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived.” – Aadil Palkhivala
  • “Yoga is the unifying art of transforming dharma into action, be it through inspired thought, properly nurturing our children, a painting, a kindness or an act of peace that forever moves humanity forward.” – Michaël Bijker
    “Yoga means addition – addition of energy, strength, and beauty to body, mind, and soul.” – Amit Ray
  • “Yoga is a dance between control and surrender – between pushing and letting go – and when to push and when to let go becomes part of the creative process, part of the open-ended exploration of your being.” – Joel Kramer

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 71 to 80

woman siting on the floor yoga quotes
"The more you see the good in them, the more you will establish good in yourself." - Paramahansa Yogananda.
  • “Yoga is possible for anybody who really wants it. Yoga is universal… But don’t approach yoga with a business mind looking for worldly gain.” – Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois
  • “Yoga is not about touching your toes. It’s about what you learn on the way down.” – Jigar Gor.
  • “Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” – B.K.S. Iyengar.
  • “The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” – B.K.S. Iyengar.
  • “The more you see the good in them, the more you will establish good in yourself.” – Paramahansa Yogananda.
  • “Yoga takes you into the present moment. The only place where life exists.” – Patanjali
  • “You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.” – Pema Chödrön
  • “Yoga is not just doing some exercise; it is much more. It is to expand your awareness, sharpen your intellect, and enhance your intuitive ability.” – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
  • “Yoga is a powerful vehicle for change. As you build strength, you start to believe in your own potential.” – Tiffany Cruikshank
  • “Yoga is the practice of quieting the mind.” – Patanjali

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 81 to 90

man doing a yoga arm balance. black and white photo. tacher quote
"When you listen to yourself, everything comes naturally. It comes from inside, like a kind of will to do something. Try to be sensitive. That is yoga." - Petri Räisänen
  • “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” – Albert Camus
  • “The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible is not the goal. The goal is to create space where you were once stuck. To unveil the layers of protection you’ve built around your heart. To appreciate your body and become aware of the mind and the noise it creates. To make peace with who you are.” – Rachel Brathen.
  • “If you choose to see everything as a miracle, then where you are right now is perfect. There is nowhere to run to; there is nothing else to do except be in this moment and allow what is to be. From that place of radical acceptance, major change can happen. The first step in any transformational experience is acceptance and surrender to the present moment the way that it is. From that place, we have the awareness, humility and power to change what is.” – Mastin Kipp.
  • “When you listen to yourself, everything comes naturally. It comes from inside, like a kind of will to do something. Try to be sensitive. That is yoga.” – Petri Räisänen
  • “The nature of yoga is to shine the light of awareness into the darkest corners of the body.” – Jason Crandell.
  • “In practicing yoga, you do not just change your body, you change your entire perspective and attitude towards life.” – Kino MacGregor
  • “In the practice of Yoga, one can emphasize the body, the mind, or the self, and hence the effort can never be fruitless.” – T. Krishnamacharya.
  • “Yoga is a light, which, once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
  • “Yoga does not just change the way we see things; it transforms the person who sees.” – B.K.S. Iyengar.

Best Yoga Teacher Quotes 91 to 100

Athletic woman practicing yoga outdoors. inspired by teacher quote
"Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are." - Jason Crandell
  • “Yoga is not about what you do. It is about how you do it.” – Adriene Mishler.
  • “Yoga is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who you are.” – Erich Schiffmann.
  • “Yoga is the space where flower blossoms.” – Amit Ray
  • “Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.” – Bob Harper
  • “Yoga is invigoration in relaxation. Freedom in routine. Confidence through self-control. Energy within and energy without.” – Ymber Delecto
  • “In truth, yoga doesn’t take time – it gives time.” – Ganga White
  • “Yoga teaches you how to listen to your body.” – Mariel Hemingway
  • “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are.” – Jason Crandell
  • “Do not feel lonely. The entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.” – Rumi.
  • “The ultimate goal of yoga is to always observe things accurately, and therefore never act in a way that will make us regret our actions later.” – T.K.V. Desikachar.

Yoga Quotes - Powerful Tools in Practice

This compilation of 100 best yoga teacher quotes captures the essence of yoga, revealing its transformative power that extends beyond physical postures and reaches into the depths of our minds and souls. These wise words serve as a constant source of inspiration, motivation, and guidance, reminding us of the true purpose of yoga – to achieve inner peace, personal growth, and a deeper connection with our true selves. As you embark on or continue your yoga journey, let these best yoga quotes be a beacon of light that helps illuminate your path, bringing clarity and wisdom to your practice. Embrace the present moment, discover the light of awareness within you, and celebrate yoga’s profound impact on your everyday life. With each breath, each movement, and each moment of stillness, you are opening yourself up to a world of infinite possibilities, transforming not only your body but also your mind and soul.

From the words above, choose your favorite yoga quotes for inspiration for your yoga classes or home practice. These inspirational quotes are powerful tools for a peaceful life and world peace.

Sources

Kevin Parenteau
Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Asana at Home Online Yoga. He is a long-time Ashtanga and Yin Yoga Practitioner, Vipassana Meditator, Yoga teacher and all-around Yoga Nerd. Writes on Yoga Asana Practice, Meditation, Chakras, Yoga Education and Philosophy
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