Modern yoga gurus

The term "modern yoga guru" refers to those who are revered as leaders in the field of contemporary yoga. The contemporary guru-follower connection is not clandestine, not exclusive, and does not necessarily entail a tradition, in contrast to the ancient guru-shishya tradition. Some of these gurus focus on the physical benefits of yoga, while others emphasise the spiritual benefits of meditation or devotion. Scandals of many types have hit some hard.

Hatha yoga was practised in secrecy by lonely ascetic yogins before the advent of contemporary yoga. These yogins learned the tradition as a long-term learner or shishya indentured to their teacher or guru. Traditional kinship was central to Indian spirituality. In traditional yoga, the shishya was expected to submit to and take orders from the guru, who was seen as the ultimate authority figure. Vivekananda recognised the importance of the guru-disciple bond, noting that "There is a need to treat the guru as if he were divine. Nothing less than God can describe him ".

In today's environment, the guru has a very different function than in the past. As a result of globalisation, gurus may now be found in places where they are likely to be foreigners and where their faith, mission, and prestige are poorly understood. In many contemporary yoga communities, participants need not be initiated into any particular group or theory to participate. Even while contemporary gurus like Jaggi Vasudev decried "all that conventional stuff," there are yoga practises that place great value on the authority of one's instructor and pay homage to their heritage (parampara). Examples include how Gurumayi's Siddha Yoga reveres the teachings of Muktananda and Bhagawan Nityananda. Vivekananda also pioneered new methods of public service in education and medical via the Ramakrishna Mission, a model followed by many other Indian religious groups. For this reason, some faiths have moved their emphasis from individual salvation to collective benevolence.

The Fab Four went to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India, in the '60s to take a Transcendental Meditation course, bringing the guru tradition, along with mantra and meditation, to a Western audience. Since then, contemporary gurus have appropriated the sanctified image of the ancient guru to promote themselves as deities. Those who made these claims often cited the Bhagavad Gita, which predicted that Vishnu would assume human form when the world was endangered by evil.