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Today it means

yogi

a person who practices yoga, especially as a spiritual discipline

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Where does the word "yogi" come from? It comes from Sanskrit yogin, and was adopted directly into English (1820s).

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Where does the word "yogi" come from? It comes from Sanskrit yogin, and was adopted directly into English (1820s).

Yogi’s story begins in Sanskrit: yogin meant “a practitioner of yoga.” One who practices yoga, from yoga (union, discipline). It reached English by 1820s as yogi. Sanskrit 'one who practises yoga'; Paramahansa Yogananda's 'Autobiography of a Yogi' (1946) popularized it. Today, yogi means a person who practices yoga, especially as a spiritual discipline.

  1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient yogin "a practitioner of yoga", one who practices yoga, from yoga (union, discipline).
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1820s yogi "a practitioner of yoga", Sanskrit 'one who practises yoga'; Paramahansa Yogananda's 'Autobiography of a Yogi' (1946) popularized it.

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