Yoga Inspiration

• #217 Walking in the Light of the Guru: Lineage, Faith & Living Wisdom

  Each year, under the bright full moon of Guru Purnima, yoga practitioners and seekers around the world pause to honor the timeless presence of the Guru, the teacher who removes darkness and reveals the light that has always been within us. This was written in July 2025, the first Guru Purnima Day, after Sharath Jois passed.  Our hearts were still heavy with grief and we contemplated what it truly means to walk in the light of the Guru? In the ancient yoga tradition, the Guru is far more than just a transmitter of techniques or philosophy. The Guru is the living embodiment of wisdom, a steady flame passed from teacher to student, generation after generation. The Guru: Not Just a Teacher, but a Living Embodiment Our ancient texts speak clearly about this. The Mundaka Upanishad (1.2.12) tells us: तद्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम् ॥ Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet Samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nishtham "To realize that Supreme Knowledge, one must approach a Guru alone, carrying fuel in hand, who is learned in the scriptures (srotriya) and firmly established in Brahman (brahma-nistha)." These two qualities, srotriya and brahma-nistha, reveal the heart of the true Guru. Srotriya (श्रोत्रिय) comes from sruti (श्रुति), meaning "that which is heard," the revealed wisdom of the Vedas and Upanishads. Etymologically, sru means to hear and -triya means possessor of. A srotriya is one who has fully mastered the sacred teachings, the outer mastery of scripture, tradition, and precise method. Brahma-nistha (ब्रह्मनिष्ठ) brings us deeper still. Brahman is the undivided reality, the ultimate truth. Nistha means "firmly established," from nis (down, firm) and stha (to stand). A brahma-nistha is one who stands unshakably rooted in the living truth of Brahman. This is the inner realization that breathes life into the outer knowledge. Together, they remind us: Without srotriya, the teaching drifts. Without brahma-nistha, the teaching is lifeless. How the Guru Lives in Our Lineage In the Ashtanga Yoga tradition, we have seen these qualities alive in the teachers who came before us. Sri T. Krishnamacharya was a true a srotriya and brahma-nistha, deeply rooted in Sanskrit, the Vedas, and the subtle method of yoga: his whole life was devoted to the practice. His student, K. Pattabhi Jois was my teacher and he dedicated his life to teaching. While K. Pattabhi Jois' scholarship as a Sanskrit Vidwan was widely recognized, he unfortunately did not fulfill the role of a perfect endowment of the teachings due to the harm done to female students at his hands. Ashtanga Yoga still seeks to account for those actions.  Sharath Jois, K. Pattabhi Jois' grandson, embodied the living thread of the practice with all his heart and sought to steady the lineage and make space for healing. His srotriya shined through in the precise count, the unwavering discipline, the commitment to preserve the parampara, the unbroken lineage. But what touched people most was his brahma-nistha: the quiet steadiness, the humility, the simple, living truth that shows through his presence and service to this path. Both of my Ashtanga teachers are gone now. To me, they will always be a light on the path. I still sit with much grief, sorrow and loss about their passing.  A yoga Guru is a yoga master teacher, not necessarily a spiritual embodiment. The word Guru has many levels and my teachers cultivated a light in me that continues to shine today. I would not be who I am today without them both. A true Guru (or teacher) does not make you a follower. A true Guru (or teacher) shows you how to find the light that has always been yours. The Guru Cultivates the Inner Flame As Patanjali reminds us in the Yoga Sutra (1.20): श्रद्धावीर्यस्मृतिसमाधिप्रज्ञापूर्वक इतरेषाम् ॥ १.२० ॥ Sraddha-virya-smrti-samadhi-prajna-purvaka itaresam "For others, samadhi comes through faith (sraddha), vigor (virya), remembrance (smrti), deep absorption (samadhi), and wisdom (prajna)." These qualities are the hidden garden the Guru, our teacher, nourishes in us: Sraddha: faith, the quiet trust that steadies us when doubt arises. Virya: courageous effort, the strength to keep going. Smrti: remembrance of who we really are and why we practice. Samadhi: deep absorption, the merging of mind, breath, and heart. Prajna: clear insight, the wisdom that sees through illusion. The outer Guru lights this lamp. The inner Guru, which is our own guidance and light, keeps it burning. A Prayer on Guru Purnima When we bow on Guru Purnima, we do not bow only to a person, we bow to the entire living thread that connects us to truth: our teachers, our daily practice, our inner wisdom. May our lives be our offering back, our sraddha, our virya, our willingness to stand firm in the truth when the world wavers. May we carry this flame forward, bright and steady, for all those who will come after us, seeking the same light that our Gurus kept alive for us. ॐ श्रीगुरुभ्यो नमः। Pranam to all Gurus, visible and invisible, past, present, and yet to come. May Guru Purnima remind us all that the Guru is not far away. The true Guru lives in daily breath, sincere effort, and the quiet voice inside that whispers, keep going. May we keep this light alive, together.

  --------  

  1:34:01

  --------

  1:34:01
• #216 The Importance of a Teacher, the Meaning of Being a Student and the Power of Transmission.

  In a world where information is always within reach, it's tempting to believe we no longer need teachers. With a few clicks, we can access ancient texts, videos, and tutorials on nearly any aspect of yoga. But there's something that the internet cannot give you: transmission. Yoga is not simply learned; it is received. And it is only in relationship that this sacred transmission occurs. Our role as yoga teachers is not to entertain or perform. We are not here to serve up a random collection of poses or stories. Our job is to teach yoga to you, to help you understand the significance of the method. Especially in Ashtanga Yoga, where lineage matters and precision holds meaning, we offer a comprehensive system, not a fragmented sampler. What we offer is not just technique; it is a way of being. And that way of being is passed down through a living thread. To understand the teacher-student relationship in yoga, we must return to its roots, in the Sanskrit tradition, in the oral teachings of the Upaniṣads, and even in the deep etymology of the words we use in English. Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day trial at omstars.com. Stay connected with us on social @omstarsofficial and @kinoyoga Practice with me in person for workshops, classes, retreats, trainings and Mysore seasons. Find out more about where I'm teaching at kinoyoga.com and sign up for our Mysore season in Miami at www.miamilifecenter.com.  

  --------  

  1:25:50

  --------

  1:25:50
• #215 Dialogue and Discipline, Rethinking Authority in Ashtanga Yoga

  In this deeply honest and sometimes difficult conversation, Melissa Matt, Kino MacGregor, Peg Mulqueen, Sarah Nelson, and Greg Nardi take a courageous step into the heart of Ashtanga Yoga's ongoing reckoning. This episode asks some of the most pressing and uncomfortable questions facing our community today: Who decides what practice looks like? How are poses given, and what happens when power, hierarchy, and silence intertwine? Drawing from recent events and decades of shared experience, the teachers reflect on accountability, lineage, and the urgent need for new models of integrity. The dialogue is raw, vulnerable, and imperfect but necessary. Stay connected with us on social @omstarsofficial and @kinoyoga Practice with me in person for workshops, classes, retreats, trainings and Mysore seasons. Find out more about where I'm teaching at kinoyoga.com and sign up for our Mysore season in Miami at www.miamilifecenter.com.    

  --------  

  2:07:47

  --------

  2:07:47
• #214 The Quiet Turning: Meditation, Yoga, and the Truth of Impermanence

  Podcast notes The Quiet Turning: Meditation, Yoga, and the Truth of Impermanence One of the most frustrating instructions I ever received in a meditation class was deceptively simple: Close your eyes and quiet the mind. I remember thinking, if I could do that, I wouldn't be here learning how to meditate. Like so many others, I was searching for peace amidst the chaos of my own thoughts. Fortunately, I stumbled upon an ancient method that didn't demand silence from the start. It welcomed me exactly as I was. And over the years, daily meditation has become a cornerstone of my spiritual path, a way not to escape my thoughts but to learn how to be with them, honestly and gently.  Many people believe they can't meditate because their minds are too restless. But that's precisely why meditation works. You don't need to be naturally calm to benefit from the practice, in fact, it's often those with the most inner turbulence who stand to gain the most. The very effort to sit, to observe, to try, even if imperfectly, is itself transformative. Every sincere attempt to concentrate, even for a moment, changes the texture of our awareness. Presence deepens. Stillness peeks through. In this way, meditation becomes a necessary companion to the physical discipline of yoga āsana. While āsana strengthens and opens the body, meditation refines the mind. Both are limbs of the same eightfold path and thrive in relationship to each other. If you're immersed in a strong physical practice, I invite you to explore the quiet power of sitting. If you already sit, but haven't stepped onto a mat, consider how movement might deepen your awareness. It's in the meeting of stillness and motion, of breath and body, that yoga reveals its deepest gifts. There is a turning that happens in every sincere moment of meditation: a turning inward, a turning away from distraction, and when we're ready, a turning toward truth. Seeing the Dhamma in Impermanence The Buddha's path is experiential, not theoretical. In the Saṃyutta Nikāya (SN 22.45), he says:  "Yo aniccaṃ passati, so dhammaṃ passati. Yo dhammaṃ passati, so aniccaṃ passati." "One who sees impermanence sees the Dhamma. One who sees the Dhamma sees impermanence." To walk the path is to see clearly—moment by moment—that all things arise and pass. This insight is not depressing, but liberating. It opens the heart to compassion, to presence, and to the letting go that leads to peace. Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day trial at omstars.com. Limited time Offer: Sign up for an Omstars+ membership and Get my FREE course: Ashtanga Mechanics. Sign up Here! Stay connected with us on social @omstarsofficial and @kinoyoga Practice with me in person for workshops, classes, retreats, trainings and Mysore seasons. Find out more about where I'm teaching at kinoyoga.com and sign up for our Mysore season in Miami at www.miamilifecenter.com.

  --------  

  1:05:50

  --------

  1:05:50
• #213 Abhyāsa: The Sacred Art of Returning, Practice, Repetition, and Inner Cultivation

  What does it really mean to practice yoga not just once in a while, but again and again, across years, through resistance, joy, boredom, and transformation? In this episode, Kino and Tim explore the deeper meaning of abhyāsa, the Sanskrit word often translated as "practice," but whose roots reveal something far more enduring: the committed, intentional act of returning. They weave this with the concept of bhāvanā, the inner cultivation of the heart and mind, drawn from early Buddhist teachings. Through stories from the Ashtanga method and personal reflections on the power of repetition, Kino and Tim share how practice is not about performance or perfection, but about shaping who we become through presence. This episode is an invitation to see practice not as a means to an end, but as the path itself. The pose is not the point. Returning is the point. Cultivating presence, breath by breath, day by day, becomes the living path of yoga. When we stop running and return to the moment, we remember, this is the place we never truly left. Practice LIVE with me exclusively on Omstars! Start your journey today with a 7-day trial at omstars.com. Registration is now open for Yogaversity! Join us for a transformative 12-month yoga education program. Stay connected with us on social @omstarsofficial and @kinoyoga Practice with me in person for workshops, classes, retreats, trainings and Mysore seasons. Find out more about where I'm teaching at kinoyoga.com and sign up for our Mysore season in Miami at www.miamilifecenter.com.

  --------  

  1:07:04

  --------

  1:07:04

More Health & Wellness podcasts

Trending Health & Wellness podcasts

About Yoga Inspiration