Mentorship to produce high quality Yoga teachers yogic wisdom

The "Guru" (Mentor) and the "Shishya" (Student) "Parampara" (Tradition) is a vibrant and integral part of Indian culture, tradition, history, and education system. 

It thrived and flourished for centuries. When there is a need to pass on any spiritual or profound knowledge – it was done in a safe, trusting, and intimate manner between the "Guru" (the master teacher) and "Shishya" (disciple). This "Parampara" (Tradition) became an intimate and inseparable part of Indian society and structure. For centuries "Yogic" and other pearls of wisdom were passed on through this tradition. 

Even after the academic written records and educational certification process emerged, this tradition continued. A Guru typically would nurture and pass on the knowledge to someone who is truly dedicated to learning and passing on that knowledge to those around him. This chain carried on for centuries without a break. And came to be known as the “Guru Shishya Parampara”.

The Guru Shishya Parampara is nothing like the modern-day education system structure. Even though it was not institutionalised, this tradition was very thorough and intricately woven into Indian society. It ensured the peaceful transmission of knowledge through the centuries.

GURU

The word Guru means ‘one who dispels darkness. ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means to dispel. This Guru was by no means just an ordinary being. He dedicated his whole life and being in pursuit of that knowledge and that became his identity. One does not become a guru by calling himself so, it is a title that is awarded to a person by society and students out of respect and recognising his contribution in the subject matter.

SHISHYA

A "Shishya" is a disciple, who is chosen by the Guru after a good amount of testing to be worthy of passing on this precious knowledge. He is brought to the Gurukul(Traditional Indian School), at a young age by his parents. If accepted, he spends the rest of his learning years with the Guru and his family spending his days in learning, contemplation, meditation, discussion, absorption, and assimilation. Being a disciple is no easy task. He not only studied but also helped out in everyday chores at the "Gurukul". 

SIGNIFICANCE OF A GURU

If you want to reach the very peak of your consciousness, you need a lot of energy – all the energy you have and more. A "Guru-Shishya" relationship has become so sacred and important because when the crisis moment comes in a disciple’s growth, he needs a little push on the energy level. Without that push, he doesn’t have the necessary energy to reach the peak. Only someone who is on a higher plane than yourself can give that little push to you and Nobody else.”

LIFESTYLE

The Indian lifestyle by principle is inherently simple. The pursuit of material possessions is considered to impede the spiritual journey of the "Sadhaka" (Seeker) as they tie him to the material world. The Guru tried to teach by example the importance of a simplistic, non-possession-driven lifestyle. It was never about pampering the body but more about the mind and going beyond to walk towards a path of self-realisation.

IMPACT

Bypassing on Yogic wisdom with the utmost care, our predecessors have managed to preserve its integrity for centuries. They believed that spiritual knowledge should never be written down as it would fall into the wrong hands and be misinterpreted. Also, not everybody was deserving of this knowledge. It had to be earned or deserved. By controlling who had access to this wisdom, it never got diluted, misinterpreted, or lost over thousands of years. Also, the ones who got access to this knowledge would do the best they could to pass it down. To these people, we have to be grateful for they let us have yoga!

MODERN TIMES

In modern times, we would like to harness this ancient tradition and teaching methods to provide the complete ecosystem to the student of Yoga, so at any given point during his journey of Yoga, the student is always supported to seek knowledge and individual growth at all stages of life by introducing the mentorship program.