What does it mean to be a yogi?

What Gurudev says

You know the feeling: you meet someone who seems completely calm, yet totally clear and direct at the same time — nothing wishy-washy, but nothing hard either? Gurudev describes exactly that mix as the mark of a yogi.

A yogi is one who is not rigid but at the same time who is not very mushy or wishy-washy; he is very straight forward. He has strength, yet is soft. He has a childlike innocence, yet depth in wisdom. He is childlike, not childish. He has a childlike simplicity, yet is wise.

From the official Art of Living website — “A Sign Of Evolution” (Dec 13 2014)

So how do you actually recognize this, day to day, on a person's face? Gurudev names one very specific sign.

If you claim that you are a Yogi, then you should have an undying smile on your face. I would say, that is the sign of a Yogi. Yoga makes your emotions softer and more peaceful, and you blossom in your emotions.

From the official Art of Living website — “How Yoga Can Benefit You” (Jun 10 2016)

That's the picture Gurudev paints of a yogi: not a contradiction between strength and gentleness, but both at once. Not a forced smile, but one that simply arises on its own, out of softer, more peaceful emotions.

What you can do

1. Practice directness without harshness. Say what you mean, without becoming hard or hurtful. That's the balance Gurudev describes.
2. Let strength and gentleness sit side by side. You don't have to choose between "being strong" and "being soft." Try allowing both at once.
3. Hold on to a childlike simplicity. Childlike, not childish — meaning staying open and light without losing your own maturity.
4. Watch your own smile. Ask yourself now and then whether your smile is coming from inner softness right now, or whether it's just put on. That can show you exactly where you stand.

Frequently asked questions

What is yoga really – more than just physical exercise? Gurudev says true yoga brings elasticity to the mind, not just the body — its real purpose is to prevent suffering before it even arises. The postures many people equate with yoga (Hatha yoga) are, for him, only a small, visible part of the eight-limbed path of Ashtanga yoga. That one part is often mistaken for the whole.

What does it mean for yoga to unite body, mind and soul? Gurudev defines yoga simply as the uniting of the small mind with the big mind — harmony between body, breath and mind. The word itself points to this: it's related to "yoke," which essentially means to unite. For him, yoga unites heart, mind, body and spirit — and connects us with the people around us.

What does the word yoga mean? For Gurudev, yoga doesn't mean uniting with something outside yourself — it means finding your way back to your own true Self, like a circle closing. At the same time, he describes yoga simply as uniting the small mind with the big mind, as harmony between body, breath and mind.

Why is yoga said to be the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind? Gurudev draws on Patanjali's definition: yoga means freeing or restraining the mind from the grip of its modulations. He names the classical tendencies of the mind — proof, wrong knowledge, fantasy, sleep, memory — as what needs to be released. This restraining of the mind's fluctuations is, for him, the essence of yoga.

Related questions

• What are the yamas and niyamas in yoga?
• What is yoga really – more than just physical exercise?
• What does the word yoga mean?
• What paths of yoga exist in classical philosophy?
• What sets yoga as a practice apart from yoga as a way of life?
• Yoga Practice — overview

Sources

The quotes on this page come from:

• Official Art of Living website — “A Sign Of Evolution” (Dec 13 2014)
• Official Art of Living website — “How Yoga Can Benefit You” (Jun 10 2016)