I have selected these yoga sayings, quotes and poems since they express the heart, mind and soul of yoga and meditation. You can enjoy more wonderful yoga quotes posted on my blog as well as add your favorites and make comments.
You’re invited to check out my Yoga Meditations book. A whole chapter reflects the wisdom of yoga, yoga blessings and answers the age-old questions from the yogic point of view: “Who am I,” What is my true nature,” What is my purpose,” How to handle suffering,” and more. Yoga Meditations also has over 60 meditations, relaxation and guided imagery exercises.
Helpful Links
- Yoga articles on a wide range of interesting topics.
- Meditation articles
- Best Yoga Mantras & Chants
- Please scroll down for a free copy of my Yoga Basics Guidebook & Wholesome News emails!
Dedication of Merit
May the merit of our practice encourage all beings to unveil the hidden brilliance.
Yoga’s wisdom on one’s true nature ~ Yoga Meditations ~ Julie Lusk
- Love is the first seed of the Soul. Rig Veda x.29
- Our essential nature is boundless consciousness. We are rooted in it when the mind focuses and settles. ~ Yoga Sutras 1.3
- For the soul there is neither birth nor death. The soul that is will never cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, ever existing, undying and primeval. One’s essence does not die when the body dies. ~ Bhagavad Gita 2.20
- There is a spirit which is pure and which is beyond old age and death; and beyond hunger and thirst and sorrow. This is Atman, one’s Spirit. All desires of this Spirit are Truth. It is this Spirit that we must find and know. ~ Chandogya Upanishad.
The 4 Keys to Happiness
The mind becomes peaceful and free when the qualities of the heart are cultivated. These qualities are:
Friendship toward the joyful,
Compassion toward the suffering,
Happiness toward the pure, and
Undisturbed toward the impure.
More about these 4 keys to happiness from Sri Swami Satchidananda here.
Living Buddha
Again and again ~ Return like mountain ~ Release like ocean ~ Relax like sky ~ And rest ~ Rest in the heart of pure awareness.
Meditation and yoga is Inner-Resting. ~ Julie Lusk
Make Haste Slowly ~ Indian road sign for “curves ahead.” ~ Yoga slogan
We will start off slowly ~ and then taper off. ~ Integral Yoga slogan
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. ~ BKS Iyengar ~ See more quotes from Mr. Iyengar here.
The easy path is hard enough. ~ Integral Yoga slogan
Hard times require furious dancing. ~ alice walker
How to Make a Yogatini ~ Julie Lusk (link)
Link to Yoga Mantras and Chants
Advice from a Tree ~~ anon
stand tall and proud
go out on a limb
remember your roots
drink plenty of water
be content with your natural beauty
enjoy the view
And I’d like to add…
bask in the sun
don’t mind the clouds
provide shelter for birds, squirrels, and other creatures
go with the winds that are blowing through your life
climb a tree once in a while
Chakra Garden of Jewels ~ Julie Lusk with Kabir’s inspiration and ‘A Place to Sit’
Don’t go outside your house to search for jewels.
Don’t even bother with that excursion, my friend.
There are jewels inside yourself.
Precious, profound and ready to be discovered.
These jewels are just like flowers.
Some are taking root. They are in the process of being fertilized and getting ready to sprout.
Others are growing and budding , preparing to flower.
There are also beautiful blooms inside, brimming with fragrance and lively vitality.
Others are in stages of decline, getting ready to retreat, recycle themselves,
and naturally cycle back to the beginning.
Like a bouquet of flowers, there are jewels within you.
There is a sparkling ruby red jewel and it’s so stabilizing and protective.
There is an orange carnelian jewel too. It lights up your senses, creativity and ability to feel.
There is a beautiful amber jewel, radiating confidence, inner strength and courage.
There is an emerald jewel too. The glowing emerald green jewel is loving, forgiving and kind.
There is a bright sapphire blue jewel shining with truth and sparks your creativity.
There is an amethyst glowing inside that awakens your intuition and shows you the big picture.
There is a crystal clear diamond, shining with spirit, connecting the Holy Ones with you.
Don’t go outside your house to search for jewels.
Don’t bother with that excursion, my friend.
There are jewels inside yourself,
waiting to be discovered, polished and ready to beam beautifully.
Helpful Links
- Learn more about the chakra energy centers now.
- Buy the Complete Chakra chart. Finally, everything is in one place!
- Favorite Yoga Mantras and Chants
What is Yoga? ~ Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Alistair Shearer
Yoga is a way to restore our lost wholeness, our integrity as complete human beings, by unifying the personality around a center that is silent, unbounded, spacious, and joyful.
The techniques of yoga are methods of purifying the nervous system so that it can reflect a greater degree of consciousness and our lives can become an increasingly positive force in the world.
If these techniques are correctly practiced, the whole nervous system is revitalized – the body enjoys better health and more energy, the rested mind is freed from the burden of past experience, and perception is restored to its primal freshness. Thought and activity become coherent and integrated, life becomes richer and more fulfilling.
Yoga is not a religion. Its techniques, however, will gradually lead you to the direct experience of those truths on which religion rests. Yoga is a catalyst that allows us to grow in whichever direction is natural and life supporting.
Quotes from BKS Iyengar with more here
“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.”
“Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal.”
In Light of Merton ~ Joe Z.
At the very center of our being is a great spaciousness that is untouched by sin and illusion.
A point of pure truth which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our mind or the brutalities of our will.
It’s like a pure diamond – blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It’s in everybody.
And if we could only see it and integrate it – we would radiate a peace that would make all the darkness and all the cruelty vanish forever.
Meta Meditation – Loving-kindness ~ Buddha
May I be well
May I be happy and content
May I be free from danger and suffering
May I be filled with loving-kindness
May you be well
May you be happy and content
May you be free from danger and suffering
May you be filled with loving-kindness
May all beings be well
May all beings be happy and content
May all beings be free from danger and suffering
May all beings be filled with loving-kindness
Gentle me, Holy One, into an unclenched moment, a deep breath, a letting go of heavy experiences, of shriveling anxieties,
of dead uncertainties. That softened by the silence, surrounded by the light, and open to the mystery, I may be found by
wholeness, upheld by the unfathomable, entranced by the simple, and filled with the joy that is You. ~ Ted Loder
Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, “Grow, Grow. ~ The Talmud
Be alert for any sign of beauty or grace.
Offer up every joy.
Be awake at all moments to the news that is always arriving out of the silence
~ Sogyal Rimpoche
Today like any other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down the dulcimer.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
– Rumi
Just give me this: A rinsing out, a cleansing free of all my smaller strivings so I can be the class act God intended. True to my
purpose, all my energy aligned behind my deepest intention. And just this: A quieting down, a clearing away of internal ruckus, so I
can hear the huge stillness in my heart and feel how I pulse with all creation, part and parcel of Your great singing ocean. And this
too: A willingness to notice and forgive the myriad times I fall short, forgetting who I really am, what I really belong to. So I can start
over, fresh and clean like sweet sheets billowing in the summer sun, my heart pierced with gratitude. ~ Belleruth Naparstek
Being on the Yoga Path ~ Yoga Meditations ~ Julie Lusk
- You alone can walk the inner path. Upanishads
- Many paths are possible; whichever path is sincerely traveled leads to inner peace. ~ Bhagavad Gita 4.11
- Whichever path you follow will lead to Me in the end. Your love will be returned with My love. ~ Bhagavad Gita 4.1
- It is better to follow your own life purpose poorly, than to do another’s perfectly. You are safe from harm when you follow your own unique path. ~ Bhagavad Gita 3.35
- Do not give up your own natural life path, even though it is flawed; all actions contain flaws, as fire is surrounded by smoke. ~ Bhagavad Gita 18.48
- No effort is wasted and no gain is ever lost when on this path; even a little practice will shelter you from sorrow and protect you from the greatest fear. ~ Bhagavad Gita 2.40
There was a saint who asked a snake not to bite but to love everyone.
The snake agreed. But then many people threw things at the snake.
The saint found the snake all battered.
“I didn’t say not to hiss,” said the saint.
Link to a comprehensive collection of Mantras and Chants
If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, or help one
fainting robin unto his nest again I shall not live in vain.
~ Emily Dickinson
I love to watch how birds
Soar on the wind.
There appears to be such
Little effort, yet such joy.
I want to become like a bird
and let my spirit soar
On the winds that are blowing
Through my life.
I will not be crushed against the rocks!
I will sense the rhythm,
The flow, and react accordingly.
I will trust my inner guide.
~ J. Garrett Garrison & S. Sheperd
I pray to the birds.
I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the
messages of my heart upward.
I pray to them because I believe in their existence,
the way their songs begin and end each day
– the invocations and benedictions of earth.
I pray to the birds because
they remind me of what I love
rather than what I fear.
And at the end of my prayers,
they teach me how to listen.
~ Terry Tempest Williams
Just for Now, without asking how, let yourself sink into stillness. Just for now, lay down the weight you so patiently bear upon your
shoulders. Feel the earth receive you, and the infinite expanse of the sky grow even wider as your awareness reaches up to meet
it. Just for now, allow a wave of breath to enliven your experience. Breathe out whatever blocks you from the truth. Just for now,
be boundless, free, with awakened energy tingling in your hands and feet. Drink in the possibility of being who and what you really
are – so fully alive that the world looks different, newly born and vibrant, just for now. ~ Danna Faulds
Let yourself fall. Let yourself fall. Too much holding yourself up holds things up. Let yourself fall into the arms of the One who sometimes pulls the rug out from under you just so that you may know the sweetness of being caught.
May my feet rest firmly on the ground. 
May my head touch the sky.
May I see clearly
May I have the capacity to listen
May I be free to touch
May my words be true
May my heart and mind be open
May my hands be empty to fill the need
May my arms be open to others
May my gifts be revealed to me so I may return that which has been given completing the great circle.
– Terma
Loka samasta sukino bhavantu
May the entire universe be filled with peace and joy; love and light.
12 Symptoms of Inner Peace
~ Saskia Davis
1. An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
3. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
4. A loss of interest in judging other people.
5. A loss of interest in judging self.
6. A loss of interest in conflict.
7. A loss of the ability to worry.
8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
9. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
10. Frequent bouts of smiling.
11. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
12. An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and in the yoga place, ~~ adapted by Julie Lusk
not a muscle was moving, it was filled with grace.
The mats were lined up, on the floor with care,
in hopes that sweet relaxation would soon be there.
The students relaxed, all snug on their mats,
while life hurried on outside, like scaredy cats.
Dedicated bodies began moving, this way and that.
“Now Tadasana! Now, Chandrasana! Virabhdrasana! and Bridge!
On, Cobra! On, Bow! On Locust and Fish!
To the top of your head! And the bottom of your heart!
Now breathe away! Breathe away! Breathe away all!”
When up in my brain there arose such a clatter… see more!
Handy Links
- Enjoy more wonderful yoga quotes, saying and poems posted on my blog.
- Yoga Mantras and Chants: Favorites
- Please check out my Yoga Meditations book. A whole chapter reflects the wisdom of yoga, yoga blessings and answers the age-old questions from the yogic point of view:
-
- Who am I?
- What is my true nature?
- What is my purpose?
- How to handle suffering and more.
- Yoga Meditations also has over 60 meditations, relaxation and guided imagery exercises.
- Free Wholesome Energizers CD is included inside the book
Christopher Baxter, Architect, Yoga Trainer, Wellness Educator
