Should You Start a Sadhana? 5 Benefits of Daily Yoga Practice (and Why You Need to Begin Now!)

Should you start a sadhana? A daily sadhana is a spiritual morning ritual that cultivates communion between body, mind, and spirit to live a more meaningful, inspired, and healthy life.

In an article by Helen Mikuska, yoga daily sadhana means “spiritual practice.” The word “sadhana” in Sanskrit means “an effort exercised towards the achievement of a purpose.”

In this sense, every effort is some kind of sadhana because it leads to the achievement of some intended goal. So, if you’re serious about yoga, meditation, or just showing up for yourself, you should consider starting a sadhana.

Purpose of a Daily Sadhana

The purpose of starting a sadhana is to connect you to your higher self. Sadhana is generally understood to be the vehicle that you use to accomplish your goals. 

Why commit to daily sadhana?

”Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”

The Bhagavad Gita

The spiritual path for most of us is very similar. We live mostly in an egoic state for a period of until a life-altering event, or and awakening, forces us to turn inward to attain greater enlightenment.

In the initial egoic state, you tend to focus more on your outer reality than spiritual growth or personal development. In reality, some people actually spend their entire lives wrapped up in ego and and the material world.

For instance, in this state, you would put an exaggerated emphasis on the importance of material wealth. Or, you may compare yourself to others and feel envious when you feel as though you fall short in some way.

However, your sadhana will help you to move beyond ego to become a more conscious and awakened person by going inward. And, this provides a wonderful opportunity for you to listen to your inner voice, face your weaknesses, and acknowledge your strengths.

Ultimately, through starting a sadhana, you will be able to you to reach your highest human potential.

Starting a Sadhana

Starting a sadhana is different than just committing to a daily yoga practice because of its deeper intention to connect with something bigger than yourself. And, it answers the age old question, “Who am I?”

The overreaching goal of all sadhana practice is to grow on your spiritual journey and turn inward to understand life as it truly is. It helps you access intelligence at a cosmic level through inner work. As a result, you can create a much higher quality of life.

Should You Start a Sadhana? 5 Benefits of Daily Yoga Practice (and Why You Need to Begin Now!)

The Importance of Everyday

Life can be stressful and can pull you in different directions throughout the day. And, although you may strive to find a manageable work-life balance, there will be obstacles along the way. But, when struggling to maintain the demands of work and family schedules, it can feel overwhelming.

However, with the help of a sadhana, you will re-discover your life’s purpose, prioritize self-care, open the door to new opportunities, and set yourself up for success. This is why a physical and spiritual yoga practice can be so valuable and even life-changing!

If you follow my blog, you know that yoga has been a catalyst for positive change in my life. And, it has given me the opportunity to connect to self while staying healthy and active. However, as much as I benefit from spending time within the yoga community, I felt that it was time to connect to my inner teacher and start a sadhana.

 ”Yoga does not transform the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees.”

B.K.S. Iyengar

Daily Sadhana

By starting a sadhana, you voluntarily participate in a self-designed program that inspires a transformative journey. Committing to a daily sadhana routine will purify both the conscious and subconscious mind. As a result, you can tap into your divine spirit and accomplish your truest desires.

When you start a sadhana, you are able to live a more authentic life. And, although creating a daily sadhana and staying committed to your practice, requires time and effort, it’s actually a lot easier to get started than you may think!

Preparing Yourself for Sadhana

So, where should you begin? That depends on where you are right now. If this work is relatively new to you, you may want to do some prep work before diving in. For example, prior to creating and committing to a lengthy morning practice, you may want to start with a 20 day sadhana and meditate for 5-15 minutes to get in the right frame of mind.

In the article, How to Start a Sadhana Practice, Kundalini Yoga teacher Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa suggests five ways to purify your body and mind on a regular basis.

• Practice Kundalini Yoga.
• Get active.
• Sweat.
• Eat a plant-based diet.
• Eliminate alcohol and recreational drugs.

Other effective ways to prepare for your sadhana:

• Train your body to get up early and into a daily routine.
• Create a special area of your home to mediate and do yoga.
• Journal about what you want to accomplish both physically and spiritually.

5 Types of Yoga

Creating your own practice can be a little intimidating, but it’s inspiring, as well. And, you can do it with some focused effort.

At some point throughout your sadhana, you will incorporate each of the 5 types of yoga, weaving them into your overall focus:

• Hatha yoga refers to the physical asanas, or postures.
• Bhakti yoga means spiritual devotion, prayer, chanting to the Divine and recognizing the Divine in yourself.
• Raja yoga is meditation that quiets the mind and allows you to achieve inner tranquility.
• Jhana yoga is using mental techniques of self-questioning and reflection to transcend the ego and get insight on oneself.
• Karma yoga refers to action with intention and living selflessly and in service to others.

Therefore, along with meditation and yoga poses, you may want to read spiritual texts, set daily or weekly intentions, and write about your daily experiences in a journal.

Examples of Daily Sadhana

In creating your sadhana, do what’s best for you. Your morning routine can include:

• physical postures (asana)
• breathing exercises (pranayama)
• meditation (dhyana)
• affirmations (mantras)
• kriya yoga (chanting, meditation technique of energy and breath control, or pranayama)

Starting a sadhana can be a vital source of inspiration and guidance because you are continually showing up for yourself every day. By carving out time to connect with your inner guide you’re better able to process emotions in a healing way. Ultimately, this will strengthen your resolve to live a more spiritual, yogic life.

“You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop.”

Rumi

40/90/120/1000 Day Sadhana

Once you have established a program that works for you, continue practicing a set for 40 days. In Guidelines for Sadhana, Guru Rattana, Ph.D. teaches us that 40 days is the yogic time for breaking a habit.

Keep in mind that,

• 40 days breaks a habit.
• 90 days installs a new habit.
• 120 days encodes the habit.
• 1,000 days leads to mastery.

It’s also recommended to start Sadhana during the first days of the new moon if possible. And, the ideal time to practice is before sunrise between 4 and 7 am.

5 Benefits of Starting a Daily Sadhana

1. Commitment and Discipline

When you make the decision to practice a daily sadhana, you will cultivate inner strength and your ability to commit.

As a result, you can draw upon this resolve when faced with challenges and difficult tasks in your daily life. In addition, you will establish a yogic devotion and an all around healthier lifestyle.

2. Staying Present

You can use your asana practice as a way to calm a scattered mind. Daily practice will ground your attention in the present moment.

When the mind is no longer fixated on the future, or lingering in the past with judgement, you will feel a greater sense of freedom. Now, you can enjoy clarity of thought and a deeper knowing that everything is going to be okay.

3. Connecting Deeply with Self

With yoga, you can enjoy a wonderful connection with your body. It gives you the opportunity to focus on your physical form in a way that you don’t often experience. And, when you put your attention on your bones, muscles, tendons, skin, nerves, and breath you will gain a greater awareness of your true nature.

4. Better Health

A sadhana can have remarkable effects on your health! You’ll enjoy an increase in strength, fitness, and vitality. You will feel more joyful and have a greater ability to stay calm in challenging situations.

This new found sense of peace and inner confidence reduces tension and anxiety and releases a cascade of health benefits.

5. Communion with Source

At its deepest level, your sadhana will release negative karma, get you in tune with your natural rhythms, sharpen your intuition, and help you enjoy life in so many wonderful ways! You will fall back in love with yourself and the Creator. Life will become smoother. And, although you’ll never be free from troubles, it will help you face them with courage and grace.

Daily Sadhana

Finally, if you’re truly sincere in your spiritual journey, your whole life will come to reflect your sadhana. And, there are some important things you can do to practice sadhana and recommit to a connection with self every single day.

Stay Present

• Use your senses to experience the world around you.
• Respect and honor your feelings and the feelings of those around you.
• Give every action your full attention.
• Make conscious, deliberate choices.

Be Grateful

• Appreciate everything you currently have in your life.
• Use “thank you” as your daily mantra to show gratitude to the Universe.
• Forgive others and forgive yourself.

Give Love

• Be willing to receive love.
• Share love with others.
• Love and honor yourself.

Your sadhana will change your life in the most beneficial ways. Yoga has already been shown to have countless health benefits.

Therefore, by taking your practice a step further, you will be able to accomplish seemingly unachievable goals, bring a sense of tranquility and peace to your daily life, and be a beacon of light for the people around you.

Please let me know what you think about starting a daily sadhana? Have you tried it? If so, what were your results? What were the challenges? Sharing your story will help others in our community. So, let’s get the conversation started below!

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