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Who is a yogi?

I've been asked lately what it means to be a yogi.

That got me thinking! How do i answer such an __apparent__ simple question in a way that is applicable to today's life?
I've met so many "yogis" while traveling through India. Men and women telling me they follow the path of yoga, they practice asana (postures), live a simple life free of frivolous material things, share their passion for this ancient practice, read yogic texts, meditate, chant mantras, and pray. 
DO these habits make them yogis?



I heard one of my teachers say the other day, "a yogi is someone who cares". Yes, a human being who genuinely cares about others, who willingly participates in creating __or co-creating__for the greater good of all is a yogi... or is he?
i used to call myself a yogini, until just recently one of my very dear friends pointed out to me that i am not. Having left most of my possessions behind, having disconnected myself__ at least physically__ from a lot of what the Western culture offers doesn't qualify me as a yogini.
Guess what, it turns out i don't fully embrace the path of yoga, i don't live 100% separated from desires and attachments, although i would love to think that I do. So, here it is I am Not a Yogini: maybe this is why i  have such difficulty explaining what this word means.


So let's see... i follow a strong spiritual practice__without it i wouldn't know how to even begin my day or look for answers__ I chant and chant and chant some more, I pray, oh i pray! I sit in front of my altar for hours and hours most days than not, i ask the Divine to guide me in thoughts, words, and actions as much as possible. i move my body in different postures on a daily basis and i also share these passions of mine to whomever wishes to listen, or asks me questions, i guide other humans through this simple life of ours that we complicate for ourselves just because we can. 
This is me, this is what i do. 
And yet i still crave the little things that make life pleasurable, what we are so used to that we don't even realize how lucky we are to have access to spa time, new clothes, healthy foods, traveling, to buy books.
Are yogis supposed to crave these? Of course there is a difference__a huge difference__ between desiring things and the attachment to that desire. We all know that desire creates suffering, don't we? Think about it for a second, have you ever desired something and then open to the possibility that it might happen or not happen and be ok with either result? Now think, have you ever desired something so badly that f you didn't get it you thought your life would be ruined? The second scenario is the one that deals with attachment, the painful je ne sais quoi that sits at the pit of your stomach and doesn't bring you peace.
You know what I'm taking about, right?
Moral of the story, Elena, who is a yogi?
A yogi is... a yogi is... you know what? i don't have an answer.
Can you give me your version of a yogi or a yogini? 


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