Turn inward with one simple step, every day

It’s a refrain we’ve heard often enough – “Do it everyday for it to make a meaningful impact in your life”. “Consistency bears fruit’. A deed is life-transforming only when it becomes a habit”. And even without these reminders, we have discovered for our own selves, that everyday habits have huge transformational power. Incrementally, they help us build ourselves into much better versions of ourselves.

Yoga, however, has all this going for it, and a little bit more. When done everyday, Yoga becomes Sadhana – a consistent spiritual practice with benefits that accumulate with each day and bestow rich gains. These gains are not external though – these are rewards that are best experienced through an inward focused journey that takes you closer towards creating an inner space, a sanctum that can hold you in its stillness, restore you and magnify your energies. Instead of depending on external factors to revives ourselves then, sadhana brings the locus of control within you, and quite literally, carves out a space for you as the master of your own destiny.

So what are the main aspects of this Sadhana?

It is an everyday act of consciously turning inward: Whether it is turning your attention to your inhalation while doing an asana, practicing a mindfulness-based technique, doing meditation, or even taking a walk in the midst of nature, it has to happen everyday. And it must not become a chore, it must come easily, and in due course of time, it’s effect must be such that you look forward to it as the highlight of your day.

It’s not an act of virtue, or fanatic devotion: Just because we described it as an everyday highlight, let not the sadhana place limits on you, define you as special, or entitled to greater spiritual rewards. If anything, sadhana done right has the impact of being the ultimate test – of your potential yes, but also your endurance, willpower and patience!

It is dictated by your own energy: Somedays will be soul-stirring, and others will be more challenging. Rather than hold yourself up to a certain standard, let the ebb and flow of your energies direct how you want to structure your sadhana everyday. Taking one extra step with each day is more important than reaching an imaginary finish line that has to be breasted everyday. Realise this, and step by step, your Sadhana will grow to an extent where it will oil the wheels of your life and help you drive smoothly through daily life, with no regard for twists, turns, or speedbreakers.

Watch this video to know about whether your work or your passion can become your sadhana.