The Sanskrit word Sādhana has a number of meanings but is most often used as “the means by which we can achieve the goal of life.”
It speaks to the spiritual process of cultivating a “spiritual life” and the importance of developing a regular practice.
After looking at the more ancient practice of Sādhana outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga-sutra I summarized what a personal practice could look like considering the following essential components.
Start with following a guided meditation daily. There are links below to some learning and guided meditations you can use to build a daily practice or Sādhana.
Some of the quotes I used:
When impurities are destroyed by practicing the eight limbs of yoga, enlightenment dawns, culminating in full knowledge of the self/atma. Yoga Sūtra 2.28
Control of the senses (yama), observance of rules (niyama), bodily postures (asana), regulation of the breath (pranayama), the withdrawal of the mind from sense objects (pratyahara), focusing the mind on a chosen object (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and complete absorption in trance (samadhi) are the eight limbs of yoga. Yoga Sūtra 2.29
Non-violence, truthfulness, not stealing, celibacy and freedom from possessiveness make up the yamas. Yoga Sūtra 2.30
These laws are universal and must be practiced without consideration of time, place, birth or circumstances. Together they constitute the "great vow" of life. Yoga Sūtra 2.31
The niyamas (observances) are internal and external purity, contentment, acceptance of austerity, the recitation of sacred mantras and study of Vedic texts, and complete devotion and surrender to God. Yoga Sūtra 2.32
The highest state of spiritual devotion/realization is attained by slow degrees by the method of constant endeavor for self-realization with the help of scriptural evidence, theistic conduct and perseverance in practice. - Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.59
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform -- do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me. – Bhagavad-gītā 9.27
Playlist of guided meditations: https://soundcloud.com/acharyadas/sets/meditations-for-wellbeing
A very simple yet powerful guided meditation: https://soundcloud.com/acharyadas/guided-meditation-for-inner-peace-wellbeing
A guided meditation incorporating breath and mantra: https://soundcloud.com/acharyadas/breath-and-gauranga-mantra
Learning to do Japa: https://acharyadas.com/3-mantra-meditation-japa/
A wonderful daily guided meditation track incorporating breath, mantra, japa, then a kirtan: https://soundcloud.com/acharyadas/mymeditation
A suite of videos teaching different mantra meditation practices: https://acharyadas.com/series/mantra-meditation-discover-and-try/
