Guru Brahma: The Teacher as Creation

If you’ve practiced with us, you’ve probably heard the Guru Mantra at the start of class:

Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara,
Guru Sakshat Param Brahma,
Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha.

This mantra is a bow to the teacher in all its forms. Not just the person guiding you through class, not just a figure in ancient texts - but the living presence of truth that shows up everywhere.

The Guru is creation, sustenance, transformation, and the very essence of what is.

Today, let’s focus on the first part: Guru Brahma - the teacher as creation.

The Teacher in Beginnings

Brahma is known as the Creator - the spark of beginnings, the energy that brings the unmanifest into form.

When we say Guru Brahma, we’re bowing to creation itself as teacher.

Think about that for a second.

The Guru isn’t only in the wise words of a mentor or the calm voice at the front of the room.

The Guru is the sunrise that pulls you out of bed.
The sound of your child’s laughter.
That first awkward attempt at Crow Pose.
The first conversation after heartbreak.

The Guru is in the newness itself - the curiosity, the stumbles, the small sparks of “what if.”

Creation is always teaching us.

The Messy Beauty of Starting Again

Beginnings are rarely graceful.

They’re messy and tender and full of learning curves.

But that’s where the magic lives.

To honour Guru Brahma is to bow to the teacher that shows up in every new start -the one whispering, “Try again.”

Every time you step onto your mat, you begin again.

The body isn’t the same as yesterday.

The breath isn’t the same as last week.

This Downward Dog has never existed before.

When we remember that, every pose becomes an invitation - to see the world (and ourselves) with fresh eyes.

Everything Is the Teacher

Jivamukti Yoga reminds us that everything is our teacher.
And creation - the living world around us is the most constant Guru of all.

The trees teach patience.
The seasons teach impermanence.
The animals remind us of instinct, presence, and trust.
Even our food teaches us about life’s cycles - how energy is shared, how creation renews itself again and again.

And it’s not just the pretty parts.
The tough beginnings - the first day at a new job, the shaky start of recovery, the uneasy step toward healing - these are also the Guru.

They remind us that growth often comes hand-in-hand with discomfort.

To turn away from beginnings because they’re hard would be to turn away from the teacher.

Bow to the Newness

When we chant Guru Brahma, we’re honouring the creative force that keeps revealing itself through every start, every birth, every brave attempt.

It’s a reminder to stay humble - to see that every breath, every person, every moment holds a new lesson if we’re willing to notice.

The world is never still. It’s constantly creating.
And in that creation, the Guru is always speaking to us.

On the Mat

Today, see if you can notice the beginnings in your practice.
The beginning of each breath.
The beginning of each movement.
The beginning of curiosity - or resistance - or release.

Bow to the newness.
Let creation itself be your teacher.

Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha - to that great teacher, in the form of creation, we bow.