Lessons from 20 years on the mat: #4 You are the Guru
This summer marks my 20th year practicing yoga. What started in the basement of an office building has become a journey that I never could’ve imagined . In celebration, I’m sharing the biggest lessons that 20 years of yoga has taught me in the hopes that they support you on your yoga journey.
LESSON #4: YOU ARE THE GURU
This lesson sounds like the ultimate ego statement, so let me (and Guru) explain…..
I was 5 years into studio yoga before I started my home practice. In those early years I only trusted my teachers to tell me how to practice and what poses to do. I was tentative, cautious lest I hurt myself or “do it wrong.”
But when I got into my first yoga teacher training, they assigned a minimum of 12 hours of home practice a month. The next 9 months on the mat gave me the most valuable gift - the ability to lead myself through a practice.
At first, I led by copying exactly what my teachers taught me. But over time that started to shift. I’d be practicing a set sequence, but then a different pose would pop into my head. I’d do that one instead, and then another one would come. Pretty soon I was down a rabbit hole of practice guided only by the images of postures. Or I’d be in a pose and my body would practically beg me to transition in a different way. I’d lean into a posture in my own way, finding new edges as I went.
The more I practiced this way, the more I came to know and trust the inner teacher that was guiding me. The yogis call this presence: Guru.
Guru can take human form, and in traditional yoga, students met with a mortal Guru who guided them towards enlightenment. The guru I speak of is Guru as an inner teacher, and can even be described as a principle or frequency of inner guidance.
WHAT IS GURU?
Guru is the weighty one, the word implies a heaviness. Guru is the one who’s weight matters in your life, the inner teacher you carry with you everywhere. She laughs and cries as she weaves together your darkness and your light. The beauty and destruction of all of your being and doing become transformed by her intelligent touch.
She is like a candle in the darkest regions of your soul. Guru is the light the pulls you - like moon pulling tide - in the direction of your Awakening. We could say highest good, transformation, or greater consciousness if that’s language that delights your guru, it’s all the same to my Guru.
Sometimes the pull takes you to humans or animals or landscapes that can teach you for a short while or long decades. It can be a comfort to assign guru to an outer form. But best not to confuse those with the weight that pulled you there. The weighty one is the true teacher.
Do not go looking outside or you’ll be caught. Even though who would call themselves gurus and have much to lend you do not have the authority to teach you the way that your guru does.
GURU IS WITHIN
You have Guru wisdom within you, always ready to guide you.. It’s there already - you don’t have to get it from someone else or go make it. Though, sometimes it’s hard to hear and it may help to have someone help you learn her language.
To get more in touch with her, ask her a question. Sit quietly and listen. Listen for the guidance, child, and don’t be so stubborn that you can’t hear an answer, or refuse to acknowledge what she would teach you.
And how does Guru teach? She speaks in impulse and image, in irrepressible urge and irrational desire. Guru speaks in Love, Compassion and Grace - never Fear, Shame or Co-ersion. If you’re listening to those voices, you haven’t found guru’s frequency yet, keep listening.
Guru is a principle you can choose to embody. Ego must step down to allow this to happen. You embody guru principle when you choose child’s pose instead of an advanced yoga posture. You let guru guide when you choose your words with care and consciousness in the midst of an argument. What I mean by ‘You are the Guru’ is that you are your best teacher. ONLY you can know what’s best for you in any moment. And you know it by listening and following your inner guidance.
All of the above is what Guru wanted me to write today.
HUMAN TEACHERS
Most of my yoga experience has been shaped by human teachers. I think it’s important to learn with those people who can help guide your steps. In my life, Guru led me to one teacher who I studied very closely with for more than 10 years. He taught me so much and also asked much of me. For most of those years the relationship was incredibly positive.
And then Guru started whispering that it was time to leave. Something shifted within one or both of us. Or maybe I’d just gotten all I needed from my time with him. And so last year I listened to my inner teacher and left my outer teacher. While sad, learning to go on my own has been an incredibly empowering experience.
I AM THE GURU
After 20 years, I’ve learned that my body and soul will guide me if I listen. Guru will guide me with my best interest at the very center. That’s why above all others I remind myself: I am the Guru. I am my own best guide. YOU too, are the Guru. You are your own best teacher. It starts with listening in.
Want some help getting to know your inner Guru? I love helping women discover the guidance hidden within. Schedule a connection call and let’s talk about using yoga, meditation, coaching or all 3 to support you.