06/01/2025
"I hope your sadhana remains true and strong..." 💪
These were the words one of my yoga teachers said to me in a response to my email to him over Christmas.
It was a timely reminder of the virtues of practice, even over the holiday period.
Yet as we enter the new year, with intentions and resolutions high on a lot of people's minds, it is important to reflect on what the virtues of practice really mean. The term 'sadhana' comes to mind, the sanskrit word for dettaching one's self from worldly goals, is an essential part of an aspiring yoga practitioner's life.
It's all about dedication and discipline - 'tapas' (not the Spanish delicacy version, but a form of internal drive or 'fire' that keeps your practice burning brightly, giving you the energy to fulfil your daily demands and keeping your body mobile and supple). 🔥
Sadhana can be extended to any practice, whether it be spiritual or not.
'Taking time for yourself' would be a more contemporary interpretation.
And when we take time for ourselves, we are giving ourselves the ultimate gift of self-care and love.
So as the strength of those intentions and resolutions start to weaken over the coming weeks and months, just remember one thing:
It's not about progress in practice. The practice itself is progress.
Over time, you will look back and marvel at what you have attained, even if attainment wasn't the primary objective. That's the great paradox of it all.
📷: Yoga Teacher Training, Bali, October 2017
Happy new year! 🥳
