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There’s no shortage of words that have been used to describe yoga. Many of these terms convey the scientific research that attempts to quantify the effects of the ancient practice on our contemporary selves, whether physiological or psychological. Other descriptions attempt to explain the less quantifiable matter of the philosophy behind the practice and remind us that it is a way of approaching life.
Despite all these expressions, there remains something largely enigmatic yet also mindbendingly simple about yoga. And that’s what yoga means to each of us.
“In journalism school, I had a teacher who used to tell us that if we couldn’t explain an idea in a few words, it meant we didn’t really understand it,” says digital creator Gabypao Barrera. “She believed that the fewer the words, the better we understood it.”
That made sense to Barrera. Curiously, she found that what her teacher had explained was exactly what happened with her yoga practice, which she began in 2018. “I didn’t fully understand why yoga had come into my life or why I was doing it until I gave it a personal meaning with just one word,” she says.
“I am always seeking to reduce big concepts into a few words with profound meanings,” explains Barrera, who has long been intrigued by “the words that have non-literal translations in other languages.”
She already knew what yoga meant to her. But curious about its effects on others, she let her curiosity lead one day after class when she asked her fellow classmates how they would describe yoga in a single word. What resulted turned into a viral Instagram reel.
Some words that were shared seemed to come without hesitation. Others required a little contemplation. And many prompted understanding “oohs” and “aahs” from other students.
“I was amazed at the variety of responses that reflected each person’s unique perspective and relationship with their practice,” says Barrera.
Intrigued, we reposted her reel on Instagram and asked Yoga Journal followers to share what yoga means to them in a single word. The array of responses and the enthusiasm behind them was incredible and contained some repeat mentions of Barrera’s original video. And there was so much more:
Compassion
Empowerment
Everything
Happiness
Connection
Presence
Discernment
Life
Essence
Love
Paz (Peace)
Freedom
Consciousness
Progress
Awareness
Medicine
Bliss
Union
Home
Equanimity
Balance
Powerful
Seeing
Healing
Comunidad (Community)
Growth
Lifesaver
Feels
Commitment
One
Breath
Strength
Samadhi (Presence)
Introspection
Alignment
Wholeness
Calm
Gravity
Elefteria (Liberty)
Release
Gratitude
Aum (Om)
Oneness
Openness
Possibility
Devotion
Dhyana (Being)
Self-journey
Reflection
Serenity
Mindfulness
Focus
Clarity
Purpose
Grounding
Joy
Bliss
Sukha (Ease)
Santosha (Contentment)
Magic. Of course, magic.
Barrera’s word, at the moment, is compassion. What’s perhaps most valuable about the exercise of contemplating what yoga means to you isn’t assigning a limited definition to the practice. And it’s certainly not about reducing the physical and philosophical practice to a single concept. Rather, being asked to name its expression in your life can help remind you why you practice yoga and what it truly feels like to experience yoga.
“‘Yoga’ is a single word with just four letters that means so much,” says Barrera.
