sādhana

Mr. Iyengar, in Light on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, says that sādhana is a discipline undertaken in the pursuit of a goal and that a sādhaka, or practitioner, is one who skillfully applies mind and intelligence in practice towards a spiritual goal. Yogi Bhajan says that it is a committed prayer and something which you want to do, have to do, and which is being done by you as self-enrichment and not something which is done to please somebody or to gain something. He says sadhana is a personal process in which you bring out your best.

My understanding of sādhana is that it comprises the practices that you do each day to bring you closer to that spiritual goal. What that practice is each day might vary a little, but the idea is that there is a steady and continuous practice that you do in the service of spiritual growth. This might include meditation and mantra, asana practice, or any other ritual that points the mind toward liberation and enlightenment, but the key is that it is a regular, dedicated practice. For this reason, it is perhaps best to make your daily sādhana something manageable, and then, if one has the time and is feeling so inclined, more can be added to that practice, but always the basic practice is regular, whatever you have determined that to mean, and that the practice does not become mechanical.

For me, I endeavor to rise in the morning and light a candle and incense, before which I sit quietly for a few minutes. I intend for those minutes to be contemplative, conscious... you know, meditation, but this is not always easy for me. Still, I arrive before the flame and the smoke and I sit on my zafu in silence. Some days are more successful than others. Beyond this I try to do 30 minutes of asana practice each day. When I began, I tried to do 60 minutes of asana practice and found that I was not consistent. So, I dialed that back a little so that I might make it more achievable and thus more consistent. This seems to have helped.

In a perfect world, where job obligations and the like were not an issue, I would rise in the morning and sit before my candle and incense, then do 60-90 minutes of asana, then a coconut oil self-massage and bathing ritual, and then prepare and eat breakfast in a manner more fit for an offering. I would do this every day. This is my long term goal, but the mundane requirements of daily life often seem to get in the way of this and I haven't quite found my way around that...

becoming

Just wanted to share this quote (from 500 BC):

All things come out of the One and the One out of all things. ... I see nothing but Becoming. Be not deceived! It is the fault of your limited outlook and not the fault of the essence of things if you believe that you see firm land anywhere in the ocean of Becoming and Passing. You need names for things, just as if they had a rigid permanence, but the very river in which you bathe a second time is no longer the same one which you entered before.

~Heraclitus

satsang

I think the definition of satsang is "association with truth" which is taken to mean both our inner examination of and relationship to the truth, as well as our relationship with a community of like-minded individuals with whom we share philosophical readings, conversation, examinations, and experiences with and pertaining to the truth. It is quite similar to, if not the same as, the buddhist sangha. The idea is that our associations can keep us focused on the spiritual goal and, since negative associations can undermine a lot, positive, supportive associations are a benefit to cultivate since the path to truth is long and arduous. So, what we are doing in yoga school is also satsang. I don't think the idea is to promote conformity of thinking by surrounding yourself with like-minded people, but rather to have a supportive group you can turn to, talk with, and share with, even when (especially when?) you are struggling with something.

bhakti

My understanding of bhakti, thus far, is that it is the practice of love and devotion, specifically with regards to one's relationship to the divine, however the divine is conceived. In this practice, the love and devotion are valued above ritual and/or pure knowledge, either of which can be approached in a more clinical manner, and with bhakti the heart must be authentically engaged. The object of the devotion is usually god expressed in a form, however, what god means seems more open than what I have typically been exposed to. Still, there are some paths that devote themselves to serving god, and others that believe god is realized within us, in which case a life of service to god results in a merging with the divine, rather than getting to hang out at god's party. In either case, it is a participatory relationship with the divine.

love dogs

dharma

We have been asked about our understanding of dharma, which, as I understand it, has to do with following one’s path and that to attempt to follow a path that goes against your nature will only lead to misery. In some ways this makes perfect sense to me... who hasn't felt like they were swimming upstream when partaking in an activity that is not just foreign, or unfamiliar, but feels plain wrong, like wearing your shoes on the opposite feet.

This metaphoric rubbing the wrong way reminds me a lot of a scene in the film The Men Who Stare at Goats in which Lyn says to Bob:

“Have you ever hear of Optimum Trajectory before? Your life is like a river, Bob. If you’re aiming for a goal that isn’t your destiny, you will always be swimming against the current. Young Ghandi wants to be a stock-car racer? Not gonna happen. Little Anne Frank wants to be a High School teacher. Tough titty Anne. That’s not your destiny. But you will go on to move the hearts and minds of millions. Find out what your destiny is and the river will carry you.”

This is, of course, a bit reductionist, but it resonated with me all the same and very much seems to be in keeping with the idea of dharma. I also think dharma has to do with turning inward to find liberation, rather than seeking it externally. In order to find truth, cultivate compassion, purify the self, etc. one must look inward and develop deep awareness. I'd imagine that having such awareness also makes it much easier to see clearly your path. And perhaps it isn't even necessary to know exactly where the path leads, just that it moves you in the right direction, right, here, being defined as not simply what feels good, but what decidedly does not feel wrong. We waste a lot of hours doing things that, if they don't feel wrong, then at least don't actually move us any closer to what would feel more right.

Oh, now I've wandered into right and wrong territory. Dangerous. Mucky logic problems tend to pop up in here. Best to wander back away now...