Meaning of a Good Yogi

Foundation of a Good Yoga Practice

It is wonderful that yoga is growing in popularity world wide and that now there are so many yogis amongst us.  A yogi is anyone who practices yoga.  So although there are so many different types of yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Flow Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga, etc, etc., all of us are yogis.  The question is, how many of us meet the requirements of being a good yogi, or put another way, what is the foundation of a good yoga practice.

Below are a list of all the things that one might feel are key in deciding whether one is doing well in yoga or not, but all these answers would not be right.  The right answer is the last one…

Who is a Good Yogi?

Wrong Answers:

A good yogi is one who does their practice everyday.

A good yogi is one who can do yoga for 90 minutes at a stretch.

A good yogi is one who can warp their body like a pretzel.

A good yogi is one who has memorized Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

A good yogi is physically strong and can do Plank Pose for 1 hour.

A good yogi is one who has abs of steel and 24 packs.

A good yogi can do multiple styles of yoga.

A good yogi is one who only eats organic, raw, vegan food.

A good yogi is one who will live to 120.

A good yogi is one who practices meditation for 1 hour a day.

A good yogi is one who has found a good guru.

A good yogi can dance, while doing a head stand.

A good yogi is one who prays everyday.

A good yogi is one with great willpower and discipline.

A good yogi is one who does not care for money or possessions.

All these answers are incorrect and if you want your yoga and spiritual practice to reach it’s full potential, then the answer is very important to understand. It is as follow…

Right Answer:

A good yogi is someone who is a good person.

Meaning of a Good Yoga Yogi:

This is starting point and the most important aspect of your yoga and spiritual practice.  You have to be good.  If you are a good person, then I consider you a good yogi, even if you have never done yoga.

You may not realize this, but no matter how much you practice meditation and yoga, their full benefits will not be realized unless you are a good person.  So if you are interested in spiritual evolution, the first step is be good.  Then your practice will really take off.  In fact, another way of defining yoga and meditation, is that it is the full blossoming of goodness.

So be nice, be caring, be compassionate, be forgiving, be giving.  You will have a sweet fragrance around you and you will be a blessing to the world.  Then your yoga will really take you far and you will get all the blessings that a spiritual practice brings.

So if you are interested in yoga and looking to start a yoga practice.  The place to start is with the following mantra;

Be Good, Do Good.

For more reading on this topic, you can check out the following articles:

J Krishnamurti on the Blossoming of Goodness

How to Live Life

and for those of you looking to get started with your yoga practice, here is a good place to start.

Free Online Yoga Beginner’s Class

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