Do note that this routine must be done early in the morning (before sunrise), typically for 21, 30 or 40 days in a row - pick a duration that challenges you but that also feels doable. This particular yoga practice is the foundation of all spiritual endeavors, the main tool you can use to work on yourself to achieve the purpose of life. Despite the fact that Sadhana is a ‘self-centered’ and even rather ‘selfish’ (in a positive way) practice, it can also be done in a group.
So, How Exactly Does It Work?
Well, for starters, it requires discipline and commitment. By means of Sadhana, a human being subordinates body and mind to the soul, accumulating a spiritual power. This spiritual power is the very energy we need to achieve our wishes through expressing the intention.
Those who have tried Sadhana say that this very practice removes subconscious fears and opens new sources of energy and consciousness and that it’s necessary for everyone nowadays - when humanity is moving to the new stage of development.
The essence of Sadhana is in itself. Every day, when you miss practicing Sadhana, you lose yourself to yourself. Remember that you do not do Sadhana for your loved ones; you do not do Sadhana to please God. The only reason you should do Sadhana is to have a clear mind and clear thoughts.
With that, here are 5 simple tips to help you get started:
1. Find Out What Motivates You
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The main rule of Sadhana practice is that you commit to it every day - no matter what. Even if it is for just 15 minutes a day – you have to dedicate this time to thinking of you and only you. That’s why it’s so important to find the right kind of motivation. Getting up at 3 or 4 am is challenging, isn’t it?
Set realistic goals – this is the best pushing power ever, visualize them while repeating the mantra, see exactly in details the result you want to get. Each Sadhana is a little victory over yourself.
2. Understand That Comfort is the Key to Harmony
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Be creative and flexible with your Sadhana. Make your practice as comfortable as possible. First of all, create a sacred space in your apartment (if you do it inside), and utilize the same space every day: put flowers, candles, some incense, maybe turn on spiritual music - just do whatever you need to make the experience even more enjoyable.
Secondly, practice Sadhana in comfortable and natural clothing, and if you prefer, you can cover your head with a white hat or a headscarf.
And, finally, do what works best for you. Your morning Sadhana can include some physical postures (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation (Dhyana), mantra (affirmation), Kriya (set yoga practice which can include asana, pranayama, meditation, asana, mantra, mudra…), aromatherapy, chanting, reading sacred literature, visualization, and even daily physical exercise in nature.
You don’t have to give up the world and avoid people if you don’t want to – that’s not practical.
Do what makes you feel relaxed, concentrated, and self-centered preferably before the sun rises to purify your body and mind.
3. Determine When You Should Start Your Sadhana Practice
It’s recommended to start Sadhana during the first days of the new moon. Additionally, it’s important that you practice before sunrise. This is because the periods of time from 4 to 7 am and from 4 to 7 pm are the most difficult. These are so-called “twilight zones”. At 4 am and at 4 pm the Sun touches the Earth at an angle of 60 degrees, affecting your latitude and longitude.
Within these hours every person has to be himself: self-sufficient, self-controlling and self-unifying. If you can control yourself during these 4 hours in the morning and in the evening, you will never be unsuccessful, unsatisfied and unhappy. Everything in our life has its exact time and place - you must be aware of this.
4. Be Grateful
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Be grateful for everything: both for good and bad! It would be a good idea to write down your thoughts into a gratitude journal. If writing is not your cup of tea, work it out through visualization: every evening before going to sleep, in a relaxed meditative state, repeat like a mantra what you are grateful for. Then imagine the result you expect after finishing your Sadhana (it might be the end of war, the happy faces of people, ideal and harmonious relationships).
5. Pay Close Attention to Your Diet
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It’s crucial to keep in mind that Sadhana is not only about daily practicing, it also requires an alkaline, plant-based diet, eliminating alcohol and recreational drugs. Also, you can give up products you are strongly attached to (chocolate and sugar, for example). But for the whole period of the Sadhana practice, it is compulsory to consume pure vegetarian food.
“The greatest reward of doing Sadhana is that the person becomes incapable of being defeated. Sadhana is a self-victory, and it is a victory over time and space. Getting up is a victory over time, and doing it is a victory over space. That is what Sadhana is. And when you do a Sadhana in the Sangat, you enrich yourself in multiple ways.” - Yogi Bhajan.
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