What does yogini mean?
Yogini is a noun meaning a female practitioner of yoga. It is the feminine counterpart of yogi and is especially associated with traditional, spiritual, or ascetic approaches to yoga, although it can simply identify a woman who practices yoga. In modern English, yogi is the more common and more broadly used term, while yogini is comparatively uncommon and may appear in discussions of women in yoga, Indian religious traditions, or the history of yoga. The word comes from Sanskrit yōginī, the feminine form of yōgin, meaning a practitioner of yoga. Yogini is therefore more specific than a general description of someone who does yoga: it identifies both the person's sex and, often, a traditional or spiritual role. Its distinctive history and gendered form make it useful when discussing yoga's roots and terminology.
nounA woman who practices yoga, especially one associated with the traditional or spiritual dimensions of yoga. In English, it is the feminine counterpart of yogi.
- A woman who practices yoga, especially in a traditional, spiritual, or ascetic context.
"The yogini guided the students through a meditation practice at dawn."
"She was a respected yogini who taught yoga and meditation in the village."
"The article examines the history of female yoginis in Indian religious traditions."
The regular plural is yoginis.
"Several yoginis from the community attended the workshop."
Yogini preserves the feminine form of an ancient Sanskrit word for a practitioner of yoga.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of yogini
Yogini comes from Sanskrit yōginī, the feminine form of yōgin, a practitioner of yoga. The related Sanskrit word yoga is the source of English yoga, yogi, and yogic. In English, yogini developed as a term for a female yoga practitioner and is often retained in contexts referring to traditional or spiritual practice.
How yogini is actually used
Relatively uncommon in contemporary English compared with yogi. It is often used when emphasizing the word's Sanskrit origin, its feminine form, or a woman's role within traditional yoga and spiritual practice.
Easily confused with yogini
Yogini specifically denotes a female yoga practitioner, while yogi traditionally denotes a male practitioner, though yogi is sometimes used more generally.
Yogin is the masculine Sanskrit-derived form, whereas yogini is its feminine counterpart.