Yogini

Yogini, 10th century Chola dynasty, Tamil Nadu, India. From the Smithsonian Institution.

A yogini (Sanskrit: योगिनी, IAST: yoginī) is a female master practitioner of tantra and yoga, as well as a formal term of respect for female Hindu or Buddhist spiritual teachers in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Greater Tibet. The term is the feminine Sanskrit word of the masculine yogi, while the term "yogin" IPA: [ˈjoːɡɪn] is used in neutral, masculine or feminine sense.[1]

A yogini, in some contexts, is the sacred feminine force made incarnate, as an aspect of Mahadevi, and revered in the yogini temples of India. These often revere a group of 64 yoginis, and are named as such, but can also have 42 or 81 yoginis. The names of the 64 yoginis vary in different classifications.

  1. ^ Monier-Williams, Monier. "योगिन् (yogin)". Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary 1899 List. Sanskrit English Dictionary with Etymology. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 November 2022.