31/07/2026
RELATIONSHIPS NEED TWO INPUTS... 💫
You may disagree with me on this one, and that's fine. I'm talking about the relationship between spiritual teachers and their students
You may be a teacher yourself. You may be a student. Or both. Whether it's yoga, meditation, breathwork or some other wonderful modality that's steeped in tradition and passed down with the best of intentions — learning something from someone is one thing. Maintaining a healthy, sustainable relationship takes effort from both sides
What I've realised this week: you can't expect a relationship to hold itself together. A teacher-student dynamic doesn't automatically become a lifelong one. It's like any relationship. Both people need to keep showing up. If not, the flame in the relationship quietly dies because no one is fueling it
What does showing up look like? A message to say hi. An email that says "let's catch up soon." A reply to a story saying 'congratulations!'. A comment on a post. Super simple stuff. Nothing complicated
No relating eventually means no relationship. And that's not a judgement on anyone — it's just what happens when input stops, on either side
I've been lucky to have teachers who've gone out of their way for me — calls into the night, changed holiday plans, keys to their homes. I've done the same for them. Those relationships are alive because two people keep choosing to feed the fire
I've also had relationships — as both teacher and student — that stayed formal, or paid-for, or occasional. That's not a failure. Some relationships were never built for that kind of closeness, and that's fine too. It just means they run on different terms
Today I reflect on this from all angles — my relationships that are thriving, and those which are no longer and I remember a course I did many years ago, huddled round a tiny speaker in someone's living room listening to a crackly recording of a conference call lecture from 20 years ago and a voice saying "change is an inevitable part of life and it can happen in two ways; it can progress or it can deteriorate."
Both are equally natural
To all my teachers & students past & present - I love you all dearly
Dan 🙏
