We are, by nature, discriminating beings. We develop taste — for art, food, fashion, architecture. We learn to tell what is real from what is imitation, what is durable from what is fleeting. We become connoisseurs of culture, cuisine, aesthetics.

So what happens when that same discriminating capacity is turned inward?

This is what yogic philosophy demands. It says: if you can be discerning with worldly things, how much more precious — how much more urgent — is it to become a connoisseur of consciousness?

• Instead of savoring flavors, we savor states of mind.

• Instead of curating experiences, we curate clarity.

• Instead of acquiring possessions, we acquire purity — śuddhi.

• And instead of merely enjoying the world, we seek to understand the enjoyer — the bhoktā — and realize its unity with the impeller, preritā.

The Yoga Sūtras speak of viveka-khyāti — the dawning of discriminative wisdom — as the final stage before liberation (YS 2.26–2.28). This viveka is not cynicism, nor cold analysis. It is the ability to discern puruṣa from prakṛti, the eternal from the transient, the seer from the seen.

Haṭha Yoga trains the body and prāṇa to become instruments of precision. But the real fruit of yogic effort is the flowering of this inner viveka: the clear, unmistakable knowledge of who we are and what we are not.

And this is where the teachings of the Upaniṣads and the Gītā converge: in showing us how to become refined enjoyers — not those trapped by the senses, but those who, through purification, become capable of tasting the divine in everything.

The yogin becomes, in this light, not a renouncer of life, but its most discerning participant — one who recognizes the unity of all three and acts accordingly, with wisdom, love, and purpose.

So let us ask ourselves: in the vast buffet of worldly things, we often become sophisticated. Can we become as refined, as nuanced, as discerning in the domain of the sacred?

Let us become connoisseurs of the spirit — cultivating taste not only for truth, but for the way it reveals itself subtly, mysteriously, intimately — in the breath, in silence, in scripture, and in selfless action.

To know Brahman, the Upaniṣad says, is to know everything worth knowing. That knowledge is not collected. It is tasted.

And the one who tastes it, becomes — śuddhir bhoktā — the purified enjoyer of the eternal.

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In the sacred journey of yoga, the figure of the guru—the teacher, the revealer—is not merely someone who instructs us in techniques. The guru is the light that removes darkness, the presence that dispels confusion, and the voice that calls us back to the Self. The Sanskrit word guru itself is formed from gu, meaning darkness, and ru, meaning remover. The guru is not the source of light—but the one who points us toward it, until we recognize it within.

Grace, or kṛpā, is not a transaction. It’s not earned. It flows freely, when the heart becomes soft enough to receive it. The final verse of the Guru Stotram offers this reflection:

dhyānamūlaṁ guror mūrtiḥ pūjāmūlaṁ guror padam

mantramūlaṁ guror vākyam mokṣamūlaṁ guror kṛpā

The root of meditation is the Guru’s form. The root of worship is the Guru’s feet. The root of mantra is the Guru’s words. And the root of mokṣa, liberation itself—is the Guru’s grace.

This grace isn’t limited to moments of instruction or dramatic realization. It flows in silence. It is in the way the teacher holds space. It is in the presence that awakens something long forgotten. It is in the unspoken transmission of śakti—spiritual energy—that begins to shift the very axis of the student’s life.

This is the dance of grace and effort. The student bows, asks, serves—and the guru, moved by love, offers the truth that sets us free.

So what is our work as students, as seekers on this path? It is to recognize grace, to receive it with reverence, and to never forget that the true guru is not limited to any form. The ultimate guru-tattva lives in the heart of all beings—as śraddhā (faith), as viveka (discernment), as that subtle inner pull toward the light.

In honoring the guru, we honor the light of wisdom itself—formless, eternal, and infinitely compassionate.

Tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ — Salutations to that glorious Guru.

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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