5 Inspirational Quotes to Apply to Your Yoga Practice

Inspiration can be found anywhere, but many of us do not take the time to look for it. When was the last time you stopped to notice the trees sway, the smile on your friend’s face you haven’t seen in awhile or the quiet, shaded bench in the park you always pass by? Although these small observances may not be the inspiring words we find written in books or on social media, they are still an inspiration.
 
The person who stops to watch the trees dancing in the wind may now be inspired to return to their love of dance. The friend who has the biggest smile on their face just inspired someone to begin a meetup group to keep the smiles coming. The quiet, shaded bench in the park just inspired someone to sit down and take a few deep breaths.
 
We are gifted these inspiring moments in life from places we least expect. But what about finding inspiration in our lives with words? Quotes are everywhere . . . have you been on social media lately? Scrolling through the photos, you are bound to come across a gorgeous photo with a quote that may or may not make any sense to you – but it sounds profound!
 
So what should we do with all of these amazing words we scroll through every day? Can we incorporate them into our lives? Possibly into our yoga practice?
 
In the words of lovely Tina Fey, the answer is, “Say yes, you’ll figure it out afterward.” But for the sake of this article, let’s figure it out now.
 

Here are 5 awesome, inspirational quotes, and guidance on how to apply them to our yoga practice:

1. “What the world needs, is more people who love themselves.” Runi Lazuli

Love yourself. It sounds so simple . . . but is it? Many of us have discovered it is quite the task with an often bumpy road. Yoga is there for us to connect with ourselves – to learn about who we are and discover all the reasons why we are loveable.
 
Our whole yoga practice – from the breathwork, asana, meditation and community – is all about cultivating this love. To take time out of our busy schedules to stop, get on our mats, listen to what we need – and honor it. We are all seeking something different when learning to love ourselves, and we are all at different stages in our lives. But each of us has the capability to find this love, to nurture it, allow it to grow and eventually send it to others.
 
Loving yourself is not a selfish act. It is not a vain or conceited act. It is an absolute necessity.
 
We all know we cannot love others unless we first love ourselves, and yoga gives us the opportunity to explore that concept of self-love. If you are familiar with the Yamas, you know of Ahimsa – the idea of non-violence to all. This practice helps us see the negative patterns in our lives. Ahimsa brings awareness to our thoughts, words and actions to ourselves and others. We notice these harmful and toxic behaviors and learn to replace them with more positivity and love.
 

Loving yourself is not a selfish act. It is not a vain or conceited act. It is an absolute necessity.

2. “At the center of your being you have the answer: you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu

Ugh. That damn question of, “Who am I?” Well, I have been around the sun a few times in my life (like 32) and I am still trying to figure that out. But you know what has truly helped me? My yoga.
 
Recommended read: A Guided Meditation to Answer the Eternal Question “Who am I?”
 
My yoga practice has helped me discover that I am more than my mom life and professional life. I am me. Yoga gave me the opportunity to explore this question, to sit in stillness and find out who I am and what makes me happy.
 
Meditation is a beautiful tool for this journey. Sitting in silence, focusing on your breath and allowing your mind to be clear and alert. Discovering what is buried deep inside you, what society may say is wrong, or what has been instilled in you by society. Digging deep and bringing this to the surface to be resolved.
 
Referencing another Yama: Satya or truthfulness. We can apply the idea of truthfulness to ourselves, that is – being honest with ourselves about who we really are and what we really want. To question our thoughts and actions, our patterns and habits, our direction in life – do they really bring us joy and peace? Or are we simply playing a role in this crazy production called life?
 

3. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” Suzy Kassem

I love this quote. If we think of this quote, at the surface level of our yoga practice, we can think of the doubt we have in our physical practice. The asanas that scare us, and the doubt of our own abilities to achieve them.
 
Our negative thoughts and skepticism really can affect our physical practice. If we tell ourselves repeatedly we are unable to nail crow pose, we will never nail crow pose.
 
But even with the best attitude, when you have the most supportive and enthusiastic cheerleader in your head, you will fail at crow pose. The difference is, you tried. And every time you try something, you are that much closer to achieving your goal. Luckily, the supportive and enthusiastic cheerleader is still there so you when you practice crow again . . . boom. Nailed it. Don’t ever doubt yourself or your abilities – you are just too amazing.
 
This quote resonated with me in other areas besides asana. When there is that lack of confidence in any area of your life, doubt creeps in. I was very close to letting this doubt and lack of self-confidence deter me from taking an opportunity that I knew would make me happy and be amazing, but I still had to push the doubt aside to do it.
 

Our negative thoughts and skepticism really can affect our physical practice. If we tell ourselves repeatedly we are unable to nail crow pose, we will never nail crow pose.

4. “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” J.K. Rowling

To imagine a better place, to come together as a community, not just yogis, but as humans to make this world better – we do have that power, all of us. As yogis we feel everyone deserves security, peace, joy and love. So we live that, on and off the mat.
 
We are offered the opportunity to set an intention in our yoga classes. This could be yours. Imagine your entire class, community, city and state with this same intention in mind. Send these thoughts and energies into the world for them to manifest and grow. We can use our yoga practice to continue to learn about ourselves, to love ourselves, and in return send that love to everyone. We can absolutely imagine and create a better place.
 
We have the whole Universe inside of us! We are not just this body, and we can be the change.
 
Never feel like you cannot make a difference. Research a growing problem in your community – homelessness, hunger, environment – and do something to help. Create bags of essentials to pass out to the homeless, volunteer to help feed hungry families or organize a river clean-up. Start small but think big. Every little bit helps, you will change lives, and quite possibly create a movement.
 

We have the whole Universe inside of us! We are not just this body, and we can be the change.

5. “May your coffee, pelvic floor, intuition and self-appreciation be strong.” Unknown

Let’s end with a quote that always puts a smile on my face with hopes it puts a smile on yours as well. And while I do hope all of these things are strong in your life, I also want to touch on the playfulness of the quote, reminding us to never lose that light hearted part of life, especially in your yoga practice.
 
Be silly in your yoga practice if it feels right. Laugh when you fall over. Notice the joy and fun you feel during your practice. We have enough humorless, harsh and discouraging moments throughout the day . . . never let your yoga be one of those.
 
 
Be inspired. Whether it is from a quote, a person, a photo or your surroundings. Find inspiration and think of it not only for your life but perhaps your yoga practice as well. And don’t forget – you’re an inspiration to someone else too. So get inspired, be inspiring and change the world.
 
Has your yoga practice or life been changed by a quote? Have you found inspiration that has turned your life around? Do you have a favorite yoga quote? Please share your experience with us and spread the positivity!
 

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