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The Guru System of Yoga

For thousands of years in India, yoga knowledge has been passed down from teacher – or guru – to student. And although it may seem archaic now, yoga's age – scriptures more than 5000 years old have been found - is testimony to the durability of this 'guru kala' system.
Guru in Sanskrit means 'the remover of darkness'. Traditionally, the yoga student would live with his (it was usually he) guru from the age of 6. He would be initiated with a mix of ash, sandalwood and tumeric on the forehead; for his teenage years he would learn things like archery, cooking, selflessness, collecting food as well as yogic disciplines and preparation for further steps in life. Then, in the early 20s, the student would leave the guru's side and become a householder, getting married and raising a family. Later in life the student would once again remove himself from the material world, ideally living the life of a renunciate before death.

As an educational system the guru kala is surprisingly knowledgeable about the problems students encounter during their period with a teacher. It is recognised, for example, that only one quarter of knowledge is gained form the guru - the rest comes from other students, and the learning accumulated over time. Obstacles to learning, on the other hand, come in three various shades – expectations of the students themselves, the expectations of others, as well as natural disasters and difficulties.

It's interesting to note that although we have largely moved away from this kind of teaching method, many of its insights and teaching methods are often still relevant today.