This mantra from the Mahanarayana Upanisad is often used prior to recitation of the Vedas. It invokes and invites us onto the path of yoga, a whole way of life, that refines our character and supports the whole of life on this planet, not just ourselves. Following the footsteps of folks of good character helps us; it shows us how to live, gives us good company, and provides refuge. But the most direct way ‘to the teacher’ or to follow the yoga path is not to go off on some pilgrimage, it is to refine your own living and arrive at right thinking.