Do We Need a Guru?

The sacred scriptures from India say that for the Yoga teaching, or any other spiritual teaching for that matter, to be successful one needs to obtain the guidance, protection and grace from the Guru. The Guru is a teacher, guide, mentor and much more. The scriptures declare that the Guru is God and God is the Guru.

The Guru-Disciple Relationship

In order to gain all benefits from the divine contact with the Guru one has to be a proper Adhikari, a qualified aspirant. The disciple should be humble, sincere, pure in body and mind with a strong faith in God and the Guru. One surrenders to one's Guru's will and instructions.

Finding Your Guru

Too many people spend too much time wondering if they will find the perfect Guru or not. Yoga masters say: "When the disciple is ready, the Guru appears."
One has to make oneself an Adhikari (qualified aspirant) by practising Yogic methods learned from a book or a local teacher with pure heart and intentions. If you are meant to meet your Guru he will come to your life when the time is ripe.

Swami Sivananda gave warning to students who expected too much from the Guru. Although the Guru shows the way and provides the inspiration to tread the difficult spiritual path, Sadhana (spiritual practice) must be done by the student.

Recommended reading:

Guru Gita by Swami Sivananda