On Seeking a Guru with Jai Uttal
What does it really mean to have a guru? Is this path still relevant today?
In this episode on the A Grateful Life podcast, I’m joined by Jai Uttal as he takes us on a journey to India in the 1970s to explore the guru-disciple relationship.
When Jai arrived in India in the 70s, he discovered that the guru he had travelled there to meet had been jailed for murder.
So with his plans derailed, Jai’s trip took a new turn, following the breadcrumbs, and leading him to places he never imagined – walking barefoot through temple towns filled with prayer, being immersed in kirtan as a living devotional practice and developing a new understanding of the guru–disciple relationship.
This is a thoughtful and colourful conversation about devotion, music and spiritual maturity.
Listen in as we explore:
- Jai’s experiences in India in the 1970s
- Life with Maharaji and the devotional culture of kirtan
- The role (and risks) of the guru–disciple relationship today
- Why seeking a guru can be problematic and what to do instead
Jai Uttal is a Grammy-nominated kirtan artist and pioneer of world music, weaving Indian devotional traditions with American rock and jazz, and has been leading and performing bhakti-based music around the world for nearly 50 years.
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Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) is a Clinical Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, founder of the Yoga Psychology Institute, host of the A Grateful Life podcast and author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers.
Lauren developed the Mental Health Aware Yoga training to help yoga teachers make their classes safe, nourishing and transformative for all.
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Any statements, claims or endorsements expressed by our guest authors, speakers and podcast sponsors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Mental Health Aware Yoga and the Yoga Psychology Institute.
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