21
Nov
2025
The Sacred Transmission: On the Teacher Student Relationship in Yoga
In a world where information is always within reach, it is 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 is 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 and 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 rather than 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 return to its roots. We look to the Sanskrit tradition, the oral teachings of the Upaniṣads, and the deep etymology of the words we use in English.
The Teacher Is a Channel, Not an Originator
In every true spiritual lineage, the teacher is not a figure of control, but a presence that awakens. Not someone who owns the truth, but someone who serves as a channel for it.
In Sanskrit, there are several words for teacher, each offering a different dimension. The word ācārya refers to one who teaches through conduct. Derived from ācarati, meaning “to practice” or “to live by,” an ācārya is a teacher whose life is the lesson. Not just someone who speaks truth, but someone who walks it.
The word guru is even more profound. Rooted in the syllables gu (darkness) and ru (remover), the guru is the one who removes the darkness of ignorance. A guru is not a person in the usual sense. It is a function and a force. The guru may appear in human form, but their role is to reflect your highest Self back to you. The presence of the guru brings about remembrance, not of who they are, but of who you are.
There is also upādhyāya, a teacher of texts, grammar, and scripture. This teacher may not be fully realized, but still plays a crucial part in training the intellect and guiding the mind.
Together, these terms remind us that a teacher is not one archetype. There are teachers who model the path, teachers who transmit knowledge, and teachers who awaken something deeper. In rare cases, one person embodies all three.
What Is Transmission, Really?
The Sanskrit word for sacred transmission is saṁpradāya, which means “that which has been properly and completely handed down.” It is not a style or a brand. It is a living current of knowledge passed from teacher to student through presence, practice, and personal relationship.
Other related terms, such as śruti paramparā (the oral lineage) or upadeśa (direct instruction given from near), emphasize the intimacy of the learning process. This is not knowledge downloaded from a cloud. It is passed breath to breath, eye to eye, and heart to heart.
The Advayataraka Upaniṣad describes the true teacher as one who is well versed in the Vedas, established in yoga, free from envy, simple in life, and fully realized in the Self. Their role is not only to teach the student, but to help the student become a teacher. A true guru creates the conditions for you to outgrow them.
Transmission Across Cultures: The English Word
Even the English word transmission carries echoes of this sacred process. It comes from the Latin transmittere, meaning “to send across.” A teacher does exactly that, not as the source of the wisdom, but as the vessel through which it flows. The word mission, a divine task, shares the same root. To teach is to carry a mission of awakening, and to transmit is to send that mission from soul to soul.
So whether we use Sanskrit saṁpradāya or the English word transmission, we are pointing to the same truth. Real knowledge must be embodied to be shared. And it must be received in relationship.
What Makes a Good Student?
Traditionally, the scriptures describe a qualified student with the word jijñāsā, one who longs to know. Not simply someone who is curious, but someone who is inwardly burning to understand the what, the how, and the why.
In the words of our teacher, “A good student is an obedient student.” This obedience is not blind. It is based on trust. It is like the trust a child gives to a parent who says, “Eat your vegetables,” even when the child does not yet understand why. Not because the child is foolish, but because they are still growing.
Obedience in yoga is not submission to a personality. It is trust in the method and in the one who has walked it longer than you. A good student comes with respect, commitment, devotion, and discipline. These qualities mature over time and are nourished by proximity.
This is why it is essential not to remain anonymous. Make yourself known to your teacher. In good times, they will inspire you. In hard times, they will guide you. But they can only do that if you are willing to be seen.
Guru vs. Google
We now live in an age where answers are always available. If you want to know a technique, Google will give it to you in seconds. But there is a difference between any knowledge at any time and the right knowledge at the right time.
Google gives information. The guru gives context, timing, guidance, and depth. Google does not know who you are. The guru does.
Surrender and the State of Learning
To learn anything deeply requires a surrendered state. Not weakness. Humility. The posture that says, “I do not know. Please teach me.”
This is why we return, again and again, to the feet of our teacher. There is something about that posture of reverence and willingness that quiets the mind and opens the heart.
As the Chāndogya Upaniṣad says:
“ācāryavān puruṣo veda“
“Only the one who has a teacher truly knows.”
In the end, yoga is not a solo journey. The terrain is too subtle. The ego is too clever. The teachings are too vast. The teacher is not there to carry you, but to illuminate the path as you walk.
And when your inner fire burns low, the teacher holds the flame.
By Kino MacGregor
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