It is still dark. The house is quiet, the window is blue. You unroll the mat in the same corner as yesterday, sit down, close your eyes. Nobody is asking anything of you yet. This moment, offered every day before the day begins, is what the yogic tradition calls a sadhana.
Sādhanā comes from the Sanskrit root sādh, to accomplish, to reach the goal. It means a daily spiritual practice, a discipline chosen freely and kept over time. The one who practises is called a sādhaka. A sadhana can include postures (āsana), breathing techniques (prāṇāyāma), meditation, the chanting of mantras, reading or prayer. What turns these into a sadhana is not their content. It is regularity.
Why a daily practice?
A single class can feel wonderful. A daily practice changes something deeper: it becomes a fixed point, a place to come back to, whatever the weather inside. In the tradition, the purpose of a sadhana is to meet yourself every day, to observe the mind as it is that morning, and to cultivate steadiness and clarity over time.
Patanjali describes this quality of practice in the Yoga Sūtras: practice becomes firmly grounded when it is cultivated for a long time, without interruption and with devotion (Yoga Sūtra 1.14). Three conditions that describe a sadhana very well.
Sadhana in Kundalini yoga
In Kundalini yoga, sadhana is traditionally practised during the amrit vela, the "ambrosial hours", the two and a half hours before sunrise. It is taught that the mind is quieter at that time and that practice there sets the tone of the whole day. It is often preceded by a cold shower, called ishnan.
The group morning practice known as the Aquarian Sadhana includes a reading of the morning prayer Japji, a Kundalini yoga set and 62 minutes of chanting. Its name comes from the teaching of the Aquarian age. At home, a much shorter form is enough to begin.
Kundalini yoga also gives a rhythm to personal practice. It is taught that it takes 40 days to break a habit, 90 days to establish a new one, 120 days to confirm it and 1,000 days to master it. Traditionally, if you miss a day during a 40-day practice, you start again at day one.
How to build your sadhana, step by step
1. Choose practices that speak to you
A posture sequence, a breathing technique, a meditation, a mantra, a few lines of a sacred text, a moment of writing. Start with two or three elements, not ten. If breathing calls you, our articles on pranayama and pranayama for daily well-being offer simple techniques.
2. Fix a time
The same time every day helps the body and the mind to expect the practice. The early morning is traditional, but a regular evening sadhana is better than a morning one that never happens.
3. Create a place
A corner of a room is enough: a mat, a cushion, perhaps a candle or a plant. When the place stays the same, simply sitting there begins to calm the mind.
4. Start small, and keep going
Fifteen minutes a day for 40 days will teach you more than an hour once a week. Write down the date of your first day and count.
5. Observe without judging
Some mornings will be bright, others heavy and distracted. Both are part of the sadhana. The practice is to show up.
An example of a 20-minute sadhana
- 1 minute: sit, spine long, and tune in by chanting Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo three times.
- 3 minutes: Breath of Fire, or slow deep breathing if you are new to the practice.
- 11 minutes: meditation with the mantra Sat Nam, hands in Gyan mudra.
- 4 minutes: lie down and rest.
- 1 minute: sit again, in silence, and listen.
Breath of Fire is not recommended during pregnancy or menstruation: in those cases, choose long deep breathing. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor before starting a new breathing practice.
Clothes have their place in a sadhana too. They should be warm in the cool morning, soft against the skin and free at the belly. Our Evergreen collection in brushed organic cotton, made in our family workshop in Portugal, is designed for these long, still moments. And if you would like to explore the energy behind the practice, read the magical powers of Kundalini yoga.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time for a sadhana?
Traditionally, the early morning before sunrise. In practice, the best time is the one you can keep every day.
How long should a sadhana last?
There is no fixed rule. Ten to twenty minutes a day is a good beginning. The traditional Kundalini yoga group sadhana lasts about two and a half hours.
What if I miss a day?
In Kundalini yoga, a missed day during a 40-day practice traditionally means starting again at day one. Outside this framework, simply come back the next day, without guilt.
What is the difference between a sadhana and a yoga class?
A class is guided by a teacher, at a time set by others. A sadhana is a practice of your own, chosen by you and repeated every day.
Every day the same corner. Every day a little further in.
