What is sadhana?

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam Melissa:

 

Sadhana simply means your regular (daily) spiritual practice,

whatever that may be. Ideally, it includes exercise (a yoga set),

meditation, and prayer.

 

The optimal time for sadhana is during the ambrosial hours (4-8 am).

If you can't do it then, do it some other time. There are a variety

of other suggested practices that make up the ideal KY sadhana:

 

The universally loved cold shower, of course, starts it all off

 

Doing sadhana with a group definitely enhances the experience. I had

done sadhana on my own for a year or so before I experienced a group

sadhana, and all I can say is... WOW! I have started a Sunday

sadhana at our local yoga center so I get the joy of group sadhana at

least once a week. Even one other person counts as a group, but I

don't think my cat, who always joins me, qualifies my home practice

as group sadhana

 

If you can set aside a spot in your home that isn't used for anything

else, this is very nice, and setting up flowers, pictures, statues,

whatever brings a sense of reverence to your spot is worthwhile.

 

Then, of course, the usual routine, tuning in, and doing your yoga

and relaxation. Next is meditation time, and there is a standard set

of seven meditations that are ideal for early morning sadhana,

totalling about an hour. There are many (MANY!) musical versions of

these mantras, and it is nice to have at least a few tapes or CD's

for some variety. Of course you can also simply chant them, or sing

them to your own melodies. Live sadhana music is one of the treats

of attending an event like Summer Solstice.

 

After this is a great time to pray, in any way you think

appropriate. Many KY people are American Sikhs, and will follow the

sadhana chants with Gurdwara, the traditional Sikh worship ceremony.

 

Just a bit of food for thought here: I love the morning chants, but,

as I was mentioning to one of my teachers this summer, I also wanted

to work on some of the other wonderful KY meditations on a regular

basis. He had been feeling the same way a few years ago, and asked

Gurucharan Singh, one of the great teachers around these days, and

was given a great idea: alternation. One day of sadhana chants, the

next day... well, here is what he suggested:

 

31 minutes of Sat Kriya

11 minutes of Kirtan Kriya (also called the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation)

31 minutes of Sodarshan Chakra Kriya

 

I've been doing this for about 6 weeks, and it makes for a really

incredible sadhana. BTW, don't start with 31 minutes of Sat Kriya -

build up to it slowly, and always relax afterward.

 

Love & blessings to all,

Sadhant