What is Sadhana?
Sadhana, or Abhyasa, is a word that comes from Sanskrit and means 'spiritual practice' or 'spiritual discipline'. It is a term used in the context of Yoga and other spiritual traditions in India to describe the process of cultivating a spiritual path and achieving personal fulfillment. It is a self-discipline that you do daily directed towards a spiritual intention to perceive the patterns that take you away from the primordial balance, and thus transcend these patterns.
In the Upanishads, which are ancient texts of Indian philosophical and spiritual thought, the concept of sadhana is central to the search for spiritual realization and transcendental knowledge.
"The practice of Sadhana allows you to connect with the infinite to access your best."
Sadhana is a conscious commitment that you create with yourself by establishing a daily routine with spiritual exercises, be they: yoga sequence, a kriya, pranayama, mantra, meditating, praying, giving thanks, etc.; to serve your soul and get in touch with your inner truth. Sadhana allows us to direct, cleanse and discipline the mind so that it guides us precisely in our actions and thus achieves our goal. In Yoga traditions this goal is related to the highest purpose of human life, which is samadhi (superconscious perception).
Thus, when you practice exercises aimed at spiritual commitment, it is called Sadhana. The essence of Sadhana is discipline, commitment, attitude and mastery.
Every day Sadhana is different, because every day we are different, just as our body cells are renewed periodically. Motivation comes and goes, illness comes and goes; but through the entire flow of life and all the variations of the mind, we consciously choose to maintain constant practice, and this is a true commitment to the infinite.
In the Upanishads, sadhana is claimed daily before sunrise, as this is when the angle of the sun in relation to the earth is conducive to meditation, and there is also a lot of prana at this time and the body's rhythms are more likely to withstand physical cleansing.
However, many challenges may arise for this constant morning practice, and it is up to you to adapt to it by adapting the best way and time to overcome and build your willpower, confidence and ability to concentrate.
“You will sow an act, and you will reap a habit. You will sow a habit, and you will reap a character. You will sow a character, and you will reap a destiny.”
