I remember going to a yoga class many years ago out of curiosity. It turned out quite nice and then I would go to a class once in a while. When work gets stressful I would show up in a class and find it very helpful. I am not sure what triggered a change for me to crave a yoga class, may be it was the desk job. The day would feel sort of incomplete if I did not go to a class. This was getting close to being addicted to yoga. I would show up more regularly and then decided I need to enroll for a teacher training and I want to just dive deep into this and teach. What a transition! I hear these stories so often in my training class. People are drawn to this because of an injury, stress, a career change, or just the first career for some, or some are drawn to the athleticism and grace of certain yoga styles.
Now that so many people are in this for the long haul as teachers or dedicated practitioners, I am wondering how someone can keep it going on this path. Does one need a guru, mentor, adviser, coach to continue or if we should be able to figure it all out on our own from here on. Or may be keep taking classes on different teachings from time to time.
Roll back time to thousands of years back in India, you hear stories of students seeking a teacher, the teacher would reject the student saying the student is not ready yet. When the time is ready, it could be after many years (even lifetimes!) the teacher initiates the student to a spiritual life. This calls for the utmost discipline, dedication, learning the scriptures, sacrifice and following a strict lifestyle dedicated to spiritual life.
I came across a section in the book Heart of Yoga by TKV Desikachar that discusses the concept of a guru. A guru is one who can show one a way. The guru helps you find your own path, your own way and not follow somebody else’s or even the guru’s way.
Back to now, I am not sure of how much of it can be followed. Yoga survives in a different format with classes being held in a huge group setting. To make our practice richer, we can learn and follow a yogic life and keep looking for a mentor. For some reason, if we seek out a mentor and do not hear back because you are not the right student or the teacher does not have enough time, then we will have to figure out a way to grow in our path. For now, books will have to be my guru.
If you have thoughts on this as how to find a mentor, or even if we need one, please leave a note in the comments section.
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In my experience, one doesn’t seek a guru, your guru will come to you when you’re ready. Books and other study are indeed our guru until then. Recently 3 books have crossed my path that I’m telling everyone I know about:
- Be Here Now – Ram Dass
- It’s Here Now, Are You? – Bhagavan Das
- Autobiography of a Yogi – Yogananda
Have any other good ones to share?
Namaste!
I will definitely check out Be Here Now and It’s Here Now, Are you?
Thanks for the recommendation.