How to Meditate At Home and Cultivate Your Own Sadhana (Personal Practice)
Sadhana is a central practice in the world of Kundalini Yoga. If you’re in search of a positive change in your current lifestyle, starting each morning with this exquisite daily routine is surely the answer. Within this guide, we will take a look at how you can meditate at home and cultivate a personal Sadhana that helps you on the path toward serenity.
What is Sadhana (Personal Practice)?
“Sadhana is the ultimate victory of the self. There is nothing equal to it.”
Yogi Bhajan
What is the true Sadhana meaning? This is a daily spiritual practice that’s personal to you. Each morning, before you face the routine of the day, you take the time to tap into your higher self. It’s a moment of quietness, and one which is dedicated only to yourself. The practice creates a solid foundation of spirituality, self-love, and tranquility. With these sacred gifts, you are able to feel prepared and relaxed before you take on the tasks of the day.
This spiritual effort is personal to you and your yogic journey. Whenever and wherever you desire a moment in which you can be free, unchallenged, and infinite, you can use your personal Sadhana practice and instantly reap its countless benefits. Taking the time to cultivate a practice that aligns with your personality and needs will help you grow. Of course, if you cannot make the time to do it in the morning, then any other time of the day works too. The important thing is that you make the time to show up for your practice.
Put simply, the Sadhana is a type of commited prayer that you create and use each morning. Its sole purpose is to connect your inner self with the Universal Power and bring you self-enrichment through the practice. If you’re striving for a level of excellence in any aspect of your life, commiting to a daily Sadhana will help you effortlessly reach success.
How to Create Your Personal Sadhana
Now that you understand the Sadhana meaning, you may want to cultivate your own practice. As we have mentioned, Sadhana is unique to you. That means that you create the sequence and repeat it on a daily basis. You can ask your yogic teacher to help you create your personal Sadhana if you need guidance. Through your Kundalini Yoga journey, you will learn a variety of methods and techniques that you can use. These include the following:
- Mantras (Chanting)
- Postures (Asana)
- Meditation
- Breathing Exercises (Pranayama)
To create your own Sadhana, you should mix elements of the practice and make a sequence that feels right for you. As you start your daily practice, you may want to adjust or change your Sadhana. However, it is important that some of the practice remains the same throughout. You should also commit to a minimum of 40 days when you start out in order to break negative habits. In maintaining that order, you can start to develop and grow spiritually.
When and Where Can You Practice Your Sadhana?
“Always do some sadhana no matter how short, because every effort of the individual mind to meet the Universal Self is reciprocated a thousand-fold.”
Yogi Bhajan
Around two and a half hours before sunrise in the morning, there’s a time called the ‘ambrosial hours’. During this period, the sun will be at a 60-degree angle from the earth and the atmosphere will be strikingly still. This unique combination means that you have the peace and tranquility in which you can relax and meditate without being interrupted.
Needless to say, some may find it hard to wake up early each morning. If you struggle with this problem—for whatever reason—you can practice your Sadhana at another time. Yogi Bhajan taught that you can do this practice at any time of day and still get the benefits from it. Whenever you awaken from your slumber, take a moment to do your Sadhana.
Thankfully, you don’t need a sacred place in which to practice your Sadhana. Whether you’re at home, in a hotel room, or staying in a rented apartment, you can quickly set-up and begin your practice. That means that grounding yourself on a spiritual level and feeling the Universal Power is always within your reach. If you have to travel regularly for your work, you can use your Sadhana as you do so—wherever, whenever.
The Benefits of Cultivating Sadhana
“Your power is not in the body or the muscles. Your power is your mind—the intuitive mind, the neutral mind—and you cannot have a neutral mind unless you do sadhana and clean your subconscious and unconscious.”
Yogi Bhajan
Move beyond your ego
Your ego could be holding you back and stopping you from living in truth. Moving beyond the grasp of your ego is one of the ways in which you can reach happiness. When you start to practice your daily Sadhana, you will naturally become more grounded and less ego-orientated. This change will shine through you like hope and eternal joy.
Become more present
Are you present in your day-to-day life? Or, like many of us, do you find that your mind wanders? When you start the Sadhana practice, one of the main benefits is that you become more present in the moment. The program helps to free your mind and allows you to cast off the worries of the past or future. When you have done that, you can begin to be present throughout the day and engage better with the world around you.
Connect with your inner self
Do you connect well with your inner self? When you’re practicing Sadhana, it is a private and personal process. Through this spiritual experience, you can start to connect with your inner thoughts, and feelings. This is a process that is completely free of ego or negative thought patterns. Instead, you are true to yourself and understand your needs.
Improved energy and health
Whether you’re always full of energy or feel fatigued, the Sadhana practice can support your needs. Through this daily routine, you can become healthier, stronger, and more energized than ever before. The astounding effects of the practice will make a huge difference to how you approach the world and how you feel physically. Only when you commit fully to the Sadhana practice will you notice the changes it enacts within you.
Take the 40-Day Sadhana Challenge Now!
“If you stop doing Sadhana, it will not make you progress on the spiritual path. Therefore, I request you to re-shape and reformulate yourself and start regrinding yourself so that you may remain polished and shining and beautiful.”
Yogi Bhajan
Are you ready to take on this experience and see a positive change in your life? According to the guidelines of Kundalini Yoga, it takes 40 days to break a habit and 90 days build a habit. When you’re embarking on a new experience, such as that of the daily Sadhana practice, you should commit yourself to it wholeheartedly and with an open mind.
To get you started on your journey, you should take a 40-day challenge and commit to the daily practice. You may want to keep a journal so that you can mark off each day as you go. This technique has the added bonus of being about to measure your emotions too. Starting your Sadhana will have a huge impact on your outlook and how you feel. Why not get started today and begin experiencing the positive effects of Sadhana?
