Is ‘Doing Yoga’ The Same as ‘Being a Yogī’?

Being a Yogī beyond the mat, beyond the ego, beyond the performance

A woman meditating to early morning sunrise | The Yoga Nerds | 200-hour yttc scotland | 200-hour yoga teacher training edinburgh — A woman meditating to early morning sun.

I hear it all the time,"I do yoga three times a week.""I’m a total yogī now, I just finished my 200-hour YTTC.""Look at this new yoga pose I mastered!"

And every time, I wonder… Are we even talking about the same yoga?

Somewhere along the way, yoga became synonymous with rolling out a mat, bending ourselves into aesthetically pleasing shapes, and posting them online with a caption about inner peace. But let’s be real, doing yoga isn’t the same as being a yogī.

Yes, you might have impeccable alignment in Trikoṇāsana (Triangle Pose). You might even be able to press into a handstand effortlessly. But the real question is, who are you when you're not on the mat?

And that, my dear readers, is where the truth about being a yogī begins.

Doing Yoga vs. Being a Yogī - The difference no one talks about

1. Modern yoga’s biggest lie:- Āsana = Yoga

If I had a rupee for every time someone said "yoga" but only meant āsana, I could probably afford a lifetime without having to work to pay my bills.

Let’s clear this up:-

Āsana is just one limb of the aṣṭāṅga (eight-limbed) path of yoga (Pātañjalayogasūtra, anyone?). In fact, āsanahere is simply “a seat”. The āsana that we practice on the mat is actually from Hatha Yoga.
Yoga, in its truest form, is a spiritual discipline, not a fitness routine.
You can do āsana daily, master transitions smoother than a vinyāsa playlist, and still not be a yogī.

Yet, modern yoga studios and even some yoga teacher training programmes (including 200-hour YTTCs) glorify the physical, pushing the narrative that mastering poses equals spiritual growth. But that’s like saying, just because you own a bookshelf, you’re a scholar.

It doesn’t work that way.

2. If your yoga only exists on the mat, you’re just doing yoga

A true yogī’s practice doesn’t stop when the class ends. It follows them into:

The way they respond to challenges (Do you get irritated due to situations and people around you, or do you breathe through it?)
How they treat others (Do you practice ahiṃsā off the mat, or just quote it on Instagram?)
Their ability to observe, not react (Do you really listen, or are you just waiting for your turn to speak?)

Being a yogī is an off-the-mat practice. If yoga for you is confined to an hour-long class and the above struggles still persist even after one, two, three decades of endless chaturanga or smudging with palo santo, then you’re just dabbling in a fraction of its depth.

And trust me, a 200-hour YTTC doesn’t automatically make you a yogī.

The capitalisation of ‘Being a Yogī’

3. The Yogī Aesthetic:- A Marketing Dream

Somewhere in the capitalism-fueled transformation of yoga, "being a yogī" became an aesthetic.

Now, you don’t need discipline or deep study to be a yogī. Just:- A closet full of Lululemon yoga wear or Liforme yoga mat- A ceramic cup of turmeric latte or cacao drink- A carefully curated morning routine post with #Gratitude

And boom! you’re part of the yoga tribe.

It’s no wonder people leave their 200-hour yoga teacher training thinking being a yogī means dressing the part, rather than living the practice.

But real yoga isn’t about what you wear, where you practice, or how flexible you are.It’s about who you are when no one is watching.

4. The Ego Trap of Modern Yoga

Ever noticed how the deeper you go into modern yoga, the bigger the egos seem to get?

Teachers branding themselves as "guru" after a single 200-hour YTTC.
Instructors getting defensive when questioned about the philosophy of yoga.
Practitioners looking down on others because "they don’t meditate daily."

Ironically, the more "yogī" people try to appear, the further they seem from the essence of yoga - vairāgya (detachment), viveka (discernment), and svādhyāya (self-inquiry).

So, what does it actually mean to Be a Yogī?

5. The inner shift:- Where yoga actually begins

Being a yogī means embracing yoga beyond the physical. It’s not just:-x Learning Sanskrit words for instagram captionsx Quoting the Bhagavadgītā without understanding itx Collecting yoga teacher training certifications like Pokémon cards

Instead, it’s about:-

Ahiṃsā: Choosing kindness, even when it’s inconvenient-

Svādhyāya: Asking yourself Why do I react this way?- Īśvarapraṇidhāna: Trusting something bigger than yourself

A yogī isn’t just someone who can recite yoga philosophy. It’s someone who embodies it, even when life gets messy.

So, are you living yoga or performing it?

Next time someone asks, “Do you do yoga?” take a moment before answering.

Are you simply stretching, sweating, and showing up for class? Or are you allowing yoga to shape who you are, on and off the mat?

Because the goal isn’t just to do yoga.

The goal is to live yoga and be a yogī.

And that makes all the difference.

The Yoga Nerds:- Where yoga is more than just āsana

At The Yoga Nerds, we take yoga beyond the mat. Our online and hybrid yoga teacher training (YTT) programmes are designed to challenge the way you think

about yoga.

Hybrid YTTC: Study online and complete your in-person training in Scotland (a wee trip from Edinburgh!) or Goa for an immersive experience.
Online YTTC: Deepen your understanding from anywhere in the world.
Continuing Education: In collaboration with Yoga with Kassandra, we offer specialised courses to refine your teaching skills and personal practice.