Guru Purnima: honoring our spiritual teachers + guides

The Spiritual Quest

In Vedic traditions, the soul's journey and evolution back to its creator spans thousands of years. Along the way, the soul is connected to spiritual teachers and guides that help the sincere seeker navigate this long, arduous quest. And for yogi's and yogini's the Eight Limbs of Yoga are a basic map for the soul's journey home. And, spiritual teachers play a vital role in helping navigate that map depending on where our individual soul is at --as they help us cultivate love, faith, surrender, patience and compassion, as well as provide ancient tools, timeless wisdom and inspiration through their own actions and practice of how to bring all these things together as a map for our evolution. 

So, similar to when one treks through through the Himalayas or Mt Everest, having an experienced sherpa/guide—one that understands the rare terrain, changing weather patterns and how to stay nourished and resilient through the process— is a critical component to a successful journey. The same goes for when we set out to transcend our mind and body to access the spirit. As we trek through through the valleys, peaks and depths of our mind having a teacher/ guide, having an experienced teacher/ guide that’s already been to the final destination can be an invaluable key to reaching the heights of our soul. 

the Eight Limbs of Yoga, A MAP FOR YOUR SOUL'S JOURNEY HOME

Yamas - social code of conduct / ideal ways to treat those around you

Niyamas - personal code of conduct / ideal ways to treat yourself. 

Yoga - creating a healthy, strong, flexible body, so you can have a firm seat/ posture when you sit to meditate. 

Pranayama - breathing techniques that bring energy and calm to the mind and body, and connects us to the spirit

Pratyahara - Withdrawing our senses, so we can turn our attention inward

Dharana - Concentration, cultivating a single point of focus

Dhyana - Deep meditation, where the mind remains one-pointed in the stillness within, and time and space are lost.  

Samadhi - Profound absorption --a state of joyful calm or even rapture and beatitude-- while maintaining mental alertness and acuity. 

GURU PURNIMA: The DAY TO Honor our Spiritual GUIDES

This Friday/ Saturday is Guru Purnima -- a day set aside annually by Hindu's, Bhuddists and Jains, to honor, celebrate and give thanks to the spiritual teachers and guides that we're fortunate to meet in this lifetime. Often these teachers travel and guide us through multiple births---as their goal is to help souls grow and evolve...to break the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth. 

My Parents

The first teachers I want to honor, celebrate and give gratitude to are my parents. Although neither of them is here physically now, they planted and cultivated the seeds of yamas and niyamas --the first two limbs of yoga--in both my sister and I. he Yamas include tenants like: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, a healthy preservation of energy, abstaining from greed - basically ideal ways to treat those around you. While the Niyamas invite us to consider how we act when no one else is paying attention. So the basic tenants of the Niyamas include things like purity (diet, lifestyle, thinking), contentment, austerity, reflection/ spiritual exploration, surrender to the divine --basically by cultivating higher levels of personal conduct through awareness. And, most importantly, they introduced us to the path of yoga and our meditation teacher--- something I will forever be grateful for. 

My Meditation Teacher: my guru

And from there, I want to pay my deep respect and gratitude to my meditation teacher, my guru, Shri Anandi Ma--who has taken over guiding me through the other limbs of yoga. Sharing priceless tools and wisdom that have helped me cultivate a strong meditation and self-reflection practice. There's no doubt in my mind that she's a teacher who I have had a strong connection with over several lifetimes. Something that I'm so beyond grateful for.

So, this Guru Purnima--- I bow my head in reverence and humility and with a heart overflowing with love and gratitude--- I say thank you to these guides that have showered me with love and priceless gifts that will serve me beyond just this little life.

What spiritual guides and teachers have helped you on your soul's evolutionary journey? 

I'd love to hear your story in the comments below :)....

With love,

Happy Guru Purnima,

Kajal