What does a Guru have to do with me?

There is this constant search, especially among the Yoga community, of this need, or want for a Guru, also known as a 'spiritual teacher'. So much so, that for quite some time, you were no one without one. This need for leadership started back in the days where we started to move from a place where knowledge was handed down verbally from priest to priest, to where the relationship between teacher and student began to flourish, as there became a true separation between teacher and student. Students began to flock where their wise teachers spoke, to learn, to soak in. Over time, of course, these relationships have shifted, sometimes for the best, sometimes not. As the Eastern Religions and Philosophy began to slowly make it's way to the Western Hemisphere, so did Yoga, therefore, so did a wave of teachers who began to modernize the ancient teachings, and make them appealing to the masses, and most particularly, the wealthy upper class.

For whatever reason, we are hard wired to believe and become fixated on the fact that we are not enough. Therefore America and Europe became obsessed with these new ideas and 'exotic' cultures, as they gave them something new outside of their regular day to day, 'mundane' life. Even to this day, we find these teachers, we covet them, we refuse to see anyone else, because they help us see what we have always been missing. Whether it be through trans-formative Dogma, a hell bent sequence that cracked your heart open, or just because, they look like a Yoga God. We become obsessed with these people who complete us, who are far more wise than we'll ever be, their experience surpasses anything we could ever imagine, and well, they have a really bad-ass group of followers, or as I like to call them...sheep.

We have seen these relationships get out of control with the biggest of the biggest teachers. Students whom dedicated their lives solely to their Gurus teachings, traveling with them for little to no pay, waiting on them hand and foot, as if they were the Queen of England, perhaps they did feel fulfilled, yes, but at what price, and what it even real? As students, we are naturally vulnerable beings, and if placed in the wrong hands, our sheep-like nature can become susceptible to harm, we could lose all our money, our bright unique light, or worse, our dignity.

This search, this yearning, for something outside ourselves, this is the ever extending conquest within our lives. Feeling that we are only valid once someone helps us find that legitimacy, or once we've dedicated ourselves completely to single texts, to one teacher, to a single group of people. Even with these Gurus, we can still feel so incomplete. So lost. What we rarely learn, but you hear it all the time, is that our true greatness and all the knowledge, already exists within us. That we must take the time to study, to inquire, to observe, to dedicate, to most importantly, ourselves. What if WE became our greatest guru and teacher?

After years of not believing I was good enough for myself, for the world, constantly was seeking approval from the outside, I found my Yoga mat. Every day, I got stronger, not only physically, although that was first, but mentally as well. Every day, I wanted to know more, I wanted to see how much information I could fit into my brain, and how much I could physically challenge my body.
The more we wish to explore, the more we realize this world, and most importantly, ourselves, are our greatest teachers. Through this practice, you begin to realize you have everything you need, everyone else just heightens your superpowers and knowledge.They are the spice and the seasoning to your recipe. You begin to trust yourself more, have a confidence no others could instill in you, and start owning your life, in a way you could never imagine. That is what it means to be your own Guru.

I am in no way telling you to shy away from practicing or following one person, or lineage in particular. What I am encouraging and challenging you to do, is to begin to see the world, and the wonder through your own eyes. Even in the most darkest of times, begin to trust the light is there, that abundance is all around, even if it isn't. Start stoking up your flame, your fire. By actualizing your power, by realizing the force that is within you, and then, like any healthy relationship that begins with yourself, you'll start to realize that everyone around you is your teacher, that all you knowledge you seek is right in front of you. You begin to add piece by piece, you no longer find the need to be something other than yourself, but you find a solid foundation in you, through the pieces of others.

My Gurus are my family, my fierce feminine co-workers, my students, my teachers (ALL of them), my cat, my husband, mother nature, my temper, my compassion, and most importantly, L.O.V.E.

May you find the strength to explore yours.

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu