Yogi Cameron Alborzian - The Guru in You: A Personalized Program for Rejuvenating Your Body and Soul

For Ron, my mentor and friend, who put me on the path

i T WAS TO BE A SHORT WALK after a very long day.

During my second day at Arsha Yoga Vidya Peetam Trust in Coimbatore, India, I had participated in a puja ceremony, taken a yoga posture class, met my guru for the first time, had lunch, attended a lecture on Ayurvedic theory, and observed my guru attend to several patients. I was also still jet-lagged from my flight to India the day before.

Excuse me, sir?

I turned around. It was a boy no older than sixteen. He was one of the many teenagers I had encountered who had studied at the center since they were as young as six years old.

What can I do for you? I asked.

What is your good name?

Cameron.

Youre from America. It was a statement, not a question. I was the only Westerner at the center.

Actually, I grew up in Iran and then England, but I have been living in America for a number of years, so sort of.

That is very good, the boy said. You have different clothes from us, yes? He pointed to my simple T-shirt and khakis.

Yes, very different clothes.

And different movies?

Yes. You have Bollywood, and we have Hollywood.

Yes! Yes! Holywod. And music? You have different music? The boy had grown more and more excited with his interrogation. I, however, was remembering my long day and was getting tired.

Yes. Different music, I said.

Who do you have for your music? he asked.

You mean, what are some of our popular names?

Yes! Who do you have?

I thought for a moment. It was 2003, and I figured at sixteen he would like to hear about the contemporary people. Well, we have people like Kylie Minogue, Pink, and Eminem. Have you heard of them?

No.

Oh. Perhaps that was too contemporary. How about something more old-school, like Michael Jackson? Have you heard of him?

Yes, not at all.

I considered this as we continued to walk. Then I smiled.

Have you heard of... Madonna?

Oh! May-don? he asked.

Yes, Madonna, you know, like a virgin.

No, Ive not heard of him.

Oh. I see. Well, in America, Madonna is a very famous singer, and she puts on huge concerts for thousands of people.

Wow. The boys large eyes grew even wider.

She practices yoga too, I added.

Really? She doesnt spend money like other famous people?

Well, no, she certainly spends money. When I first met her she owned three cars.

Three cars? Why would somebody have three cars? he asked.

To drive them, I suppose.

That is funny. She can only ever drive one of them at a time.

Yes, I suppose that is true. We were approaching the apartment complex.

It sounds like America is a very material place to be.

Oh, yes, we in the West are living in a material world. I almost groaned to myself.

She must be very famous if she can afford three cars.

Shes definitely very famous. Some might argue that shes more famous than Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ! Ive heard of him!

I laughed. Of course you have.

As I prepared for bed, I reflected on the coincidence that this boy had used the term material to describe America. Along with the different music, movies, and clothes, America and the rural part of India where I was studying couldnt have been more different. I remembered how my own career in fashion not only had earned me money, status, and fame, but it had also led me to appear in the acclaimed Express Yourself video starring none other than the Material Girl herself. Going from that life to a three-bedroom apartment in India shared with ten other people showed just how far I had journeyed.

It had been a very long day indeed.

...

According to yogic philosophy, time on earth exists in cycles that each span thousands of years. At the beginning of a cycle, the world exists in a denser, more material plane and gradually moves toward a lighter, more awakened realm. Right now, in the twenty-first century, we are at the very beginning of a cycle and therefore are in our densest form. Much as the above story suggests, we really are living in a material world. At this point in the cycle we have a natural affinity for physical appearance, possessions, and decadence. Some might spend their time enjoying their abundance of such things while others spend their time yearning for them. In line with the teachings I have been exposed to, I believe that the many of us who obsess over these things are creating an even denser presence in the world. This presence is furthering our suffering rather than creating a sense of peace and joy. With this book, I aim to teach you as I have been taught. I will show you not only the significance of this suffering but also how to find your way out of the material plane and into joy.

the promise of a better life

Consider two images. The first is a leaf stemming from the branch of a tree. The second is of a person. The leaf is green and vibrant and is absorbing the many rays of light pouring out of the sun. It exists naturally. The person is rushing around trying to achieve things and is struggling with some sort of problem, and as a result this person is slouching and has bags under the eyes. What is significant about these two images is that both of them are common. Many of us wear the obstacles of everyday life as a burden, and this burden manifests as disease and pain in our bodies. We lack sleep, eat foods that tax rather than nurture our bodies, and are susceptible to many ailments that we have accepted as normal. We also, however, see many leaves on many trees that live and thrive exactly as they are intended tofull of vibrancy and energy.

We are intended to live like those leaves. We choose not to.

The work I am presenting to you in this book is based on creating a practice defined by the path of yoga and Ayurveda as set out thousands of years ago. It calls upon all of us to strip away the parts of our lives that tax our bodies and keep us from living in the balanced state that nature originally intended for us. You and I didnt set the rules of nature, but we do have the opportunity to follow them. For thousands of years many generations of people committed themselves to refining this practice, and from their experiences we learn that when we remove inessential parts or habits from our lives, we find our way back to the truest version of ourselves. We create a life for ourselves that is free of disease, sadness, and pain. We understand what contentment is. We understand love. We become as vibrant and joyful as the many leaves that have filled every landscape since the beginning of time.

discovering the guru in you

The word guru is a Sanskrit term that means teacher. This books title is based on the fact that to truly walk a path that leads to a joyful existence, each of us must find and use tools to strip away inessential layers of our being until we reveal the natural essence of who we are. Consider the act of stripping an old wooden building whose walls have been painted over ten or a dozen times. The paint may be worn or new on the surface, and it may be cracked or smooth. However, if we remove all of the paint, we will discover a natural, unblemished set of boards that radiate the very beauty that earned them a place on the side of the building in the first place. These boards represent what we call our root or our inner guru. The path of yoga and Ayurveda helps us to remove all of the limitations and obstacles that stand in the way of radiating our natural beauty, and when we exist in this natural state, our choices and actions reflect the teachings of this guruor sacred sense of self. This is not to say, though, that we have no need for a teacher or guidelines such as those outlined in this book. In the beginning we need guidance. It is our responsibility to decide what type of guidance we will pursue.