On the 12th Day of Christmas, my sadhana practice began

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.

On the 11th Day of Christmas, I went into a wakeful, dreamy state.

I am talking about yoga Nidra.

A state of wakeful sleep where we align our mind with that of a more peaceful and collected state.

On the 10th Day of Christmas, I finally realised I was struggling to practice daily because I had no routine.

It just takes one small side step for me to get out of routine and without routine, I find it very difficult to maintain my yoga practice.

But actually more than routine is the commitment to practice.

On the 9th Day of Christmas, I was innovative and bought about change.

“To innovate is to introduce the new, to engage in a process of change. To invent it to produce a different variation of the old.”

BKS Iyengar pg 123 Light On Life.

Guruji writes about the subtle difference between innovation and inventing because they are often mixed up but there is an important difference.

On the 8th Day of Practice, I almost didn’t practice…

We might have the intention to get on the mat first thing in the morning but for some good reason, we don’t.

On the 7th Day of Practice, I seized the moment.

Are you waiting for the right time to practice?

Are you waiting till you have a decent amount of time to practice?

On the 6th Day of Christmas, I withdraw from the chaos.

We have lots of strategies to withdraw. Sadly the greatest these days is to withdraw to our devices and screens.

But this is not real withdrawal, actually, we are seeking more stimulation by doing this.

I often use the word discipline and tapas interchangeably.

Tapas is a big word with lots of layers, but discipline is a little simpler and this is what I want to focus on today.

On the 4th Day of Practice, I really had to stretch.

Are you itching to practice but you…

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, I screamed at my brother.

Have you noticed that when you visit your family you revert back to the behaviors and habits of your 16-year-old self?

On the 2nd Day Of Practice, I needed to Rest and Digest.

Yes, I’ll give you something to help you digest all the food you ate yesterday because I am guessing you don’t feel like 108 Sun Salutes.

On the 1st Day of Christmas, I piled my plate too high.

“In yoga we consciously minimise our needs… We minimise our needs so that we can minimise our attachments and maximise contentment.”