yogi

American  

[yoh-gee] / ˈyoʊ gi /

Also yogin

noun

plural

yogis

1. a person who practices yoga.

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yogi British  

/ jəʊˈɡiːniː, ˈjəʊɡɪ /

noun

1. a person who is a master of yoga

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Other Word Forms

• yogini
  noun

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

In the 1940s, Team Italy could’ve run out a lineup that featured Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto and Joe and Dom DiMaggio.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

But, as the great Yogi Berra also cautioned: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.”

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

Yogi Berra got it right when he said “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2025

In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said to stop such incidents, police should verify every employee.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2024

“Wow! We could go to a Yankees game. Mom,” he called out, “Anita just invited me to come to New York to see Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle play.”

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez