Guru is You -Yoga, Jyotish and the path back to the Self

First of all, let’s clear up some of the misconceptions surrounding the word Guru.

Many people — particularly in the West — feel uncomfortable with the concept. But according to my understanding through years of studying Yoga, the true Guru is not outside of you. Ultimately, the Guru points you back to your own divine nature.

The word Guru is often translated as “dispeller of darkness” — the darkness of ignorance, forgetfulness and disconnection from our true Self.

In the yogic view of life, your essence is already whole, conscious and deeply connected to the Divine. The journey of Yoga is really about remembering and rediscovering that… and learning how to trust the inner guidance that emerges from this deeper place within us.

The great Yogis say that we have become remote from our true nature, and Yoga offers us a path back.

Perhaps this is why so many people leave a Yoga class feeling lighter, calmer and somehow more themselves.

The name of the Yoga I practiced and taught for many years, Svaroopa®, actually means the bliss of your own being — which to me is such a beautiful and compelling reason to practise.

When I first discovered this style of Yoga, I felt relieved and excited to have found something I not only enjoyed doing, but genuinely wanted to keep returning to. The physical postures, or asana, became a doorway into a quieter and more expansive inner dimension of myself.

What I love about Yoga is that it is both endlessly vast and deeply practical. Traditionally, Yoga has eight interconnected branches that support us in the realisation of the Self.

Most of us in the West are primarily familiar with asana, the physical practice, yet this is only one small aspect of Yoga as a whole. The philosophy of Yoga helps us understand why we think, act and feel the way we do. Over time, it gently expands our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

Another profound aspect of Yoga is Swadyaya, or self-study. Traditionally this can include chanting sacred texts and mantras, contemplation, spiritual inquiry and the study of uplifting teachings that help illuminate the mind and heart.

In many ways, even reading, reflecting upon and discussing life-affirming and consciousness-expanding ideas is itself part of Yoga. These teachings gently reshape the way we see ourselves, others and the world around us.

Chanting in particular has a remarkable ability to quieten the mind and reconnect us to something deeper within ourselves.

For those who may not feel drawn to the physical side of Yoga, perhaps chanting, contemplation and self-study offer another doorway inward — as does the study of Jyotish.

As I prepare to embark more deeply into the study of Jyotish — the ancient Vedic science often referred to as Yogic astrology — I find myself increasingly fascinated by the many ways Yoga offers us glimpses into our place within the vast living cosmos.

Far beyond prediction, Jyotish is understood as a sacred and contemplative practice that helps illuminate the subtle patterns, energies and karmic influences shaping our lives. Like Yoga itself, it invites humility, self-awareness and a deeper relationship with the unseen forces moving through existence.

Traditionally, these teachings are not approached purely intellectually, but devotionally — through mantra, ritual, discipline and reverence for the subtle yet tangible forces that influence human life.

What moves me most is the understanding that we are not separate from the cosmos, but intimately woven into it.

And perhaps this too is part of Yoga:remembering that our lives are held within something far greater, more mysterious and more interconnected than the small surface mind can easily comprehend.

Whether through asana, chanting, meditation, self-study or Jyotish, all of these practices are ultimately pathways leading us back toward greater alignment with who we truly are.

Not becoming something else.But becoming more deeply ourselves.

Returning to the deeper intelligence, sacredness and stillness already living within.

The Guru is You.