yogi
Americannoun
-
yogis
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of yogi
1610–20; < Sanskrit yogī, nominative singular of yogin, derivative of yoga yoga
Explanation
In the western part of the world, a yogi is someone who practices yoga, the physical and mental discipline of meditation and body postures. Do you do sun salutations every morning? Then you're a yogi! The word yogi comes from a Sanskrit root, yuj, which means "to join or unite." This ancient source never meant "doing yoga poses," but referred to a deeply mystical practice. In India, a yogi can be a spiritual practitioner of various kinds, but in the West, it's come to refer to someone who does physical yoga asanas, or poses with names like "cat," "cow," and "downward dog."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I meditated for 15 minutes, listening to a recording of the Indian yogi and mystic Sadhguru repeating: “I am not the body. I am not even the mind.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
When I’m stretching and doing yoga, it’s not because I want to be a yogi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
A yogi learning a new posture must practice it repeatedly.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2024
He is a chai-sipping, dhoti-wearing superhero who gets his powers from a yogi - a mystic guru - and not from a radioactive spider bite.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2023
Mari exited the focus app and looked up an online yogi who talked their followers through breathing and control exercises.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
The British-born nun spent years isolated in a cave in the Himalayas to follow the rigorous path of the most devoted yogis.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2024
Like many devoted yogis, it was not just an exercise class for me, but a way of life.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2021
On the summer solstice, her feed showed Times Square full of thousands of maskless yogis.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2021
If you live in the West, the answer is likely to be “sitars, flying carpets and yogis on retreats,” the musician Sarathy Korwar said.
From New York Times ● Aug. 28, 2019
Nicolas spent a year as a beggar, following the path of the yogis, across the Himalayas, through Katmandu, along the Ganges, and on to Benares, all on foot.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
