Rumi on Sadhana by munificent Blog entry

Blog: Yoga Path
by munificent

Rumi on Sadhana

So Rumi is ruminating on the amrit Vela -time of the openings of the windows of the world, Sadhana time...

Date: 10/25/2005 4:45:54 AM ( 20 y ) ... viewed 1675 times

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across
the doorsill
Where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
Rumi
Classical Group Sadhana

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across
the doorsill
Where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.
Rumi

Sadhana simply defined is the technique of disciplining yourself. It is a practice, particularly when performed during the Amrit Vela, which resets your cycles and patterns to the rhythm of your ultimate aims, your Soul and the heartbeat of the Universe. It is this time of each day when the "veil" of the ego (limited self) is thinnest and so we can mindfully observe all the negative habits that lead you away from health, physical stamina, wholeness and higher consciousness and neutralize the desires underlying those habits one by one. Sadhana is a conscious activity to access the unlimited potential of your life through relating to and embracing the most mysterious aspects of our deep self - encountering the Knowable UnKnown and the UnKnowable Unknown. It is during the Amrit Vela, the 2 1/2 hours before sunrise, that prana concentrates* and cleansing on all levels is more easily accomplished. Simply being aware, vertical and leaning in the right direction at this time has profound effects as the subconscious, which is usually tucked away and suppressed through tensions in the physical body, is right there on the surface and in our conscious awareness.

For the Buddhist, Hindu and for many other spiritual traditions the Amrit Vela is the acknowledged time for deep spiritual practice if you're privy to the monastic approach.
The Amrit Vela, the Nectar Time 2½ hours before dawn, when the world is transitioning and deeply still. It is a time when many souls are born or leave their bodies. From 2am - 6am is the most Satvic time, not being pulled by the Tamasic guna or the pushed by the Rajasic guna. There is no better opportunity to overcome inertia and practice stillness.

Also, certainly if one is to attempt Brahmacharya this is the one time when one can surely open all the channels so that the sexua| energy can flow freely and nourish the whole BEING, and not simply move along the usual passages creating that familiar "itchiness".

"It is common to regret not waking, but no one ever regrets coming to Sadhana!"
Shiva Singh - Chicago, USA

A Sadhana practice, however, can be done at any time with varying results. A Sadhana can be a few minutes of meditation when you wake in the morning, it can be a yoga class you attend, or it can be any spiritual practice.

A Group Sadhana is, unfortunately, a very rare blessing. Many locations simply don't have a enough practitioners to comprise a group. At Guru Ram Das Ashram and Baba Siri Chand Yoga center we have a Group Sadhana every day of the week! Everyone is welcome to attend Group Sadhana: Come for any or for all of it! There is no fee.

Group Sadhana is held Monday through Saturday at 3:40 am and Sunday at 4:40 am. Sadhana includes the following:

Japji: Morning Prayer - Recite or listen along with this prayer that is read aloud in Gurmukhi. Japji is called the "song of the soul" and celebrates connection to the Infinite.

Tune in using the Adi Mantra and then do a Kundalini Yoga Set

Deep Relaxation and Integration

Meditation and Chanting - A specific sequence of chants is done as part of Sadhana.
We finish with the Long Time Sun

Ending Prayer - Our Group Sadhana is occasionally followed by Gurdwara (Sikh devotional service) that includes a "random" reading from Sikh scriptures (Guru Granth) and devotional singing. Everyone is welcome to stay and attend. It is not uncommon to seek answers of baffling questions by opening the Divine Book at "random". And as the Guru Granth itself claims, the pure of heart will find their queries replied.

"Sadhana is a test of self-grit. If your sadhana is more important than your neurosis, you are fine. If your neurosis is more important than your sadhana you are not. Doesn't matter how saintly you are, nobody wants to get up in the ambrosial hours. Why you still do it is a mystery. At that time, between 3 and 6 o'clock, the rays of the sun pass at 60 degrees and you want to feel relaxed. You take a cold shower, wake-up and meditate. Why do you repeat the mantra hundreds of times? To create a stamina, an absolute mental stamina. Without that there is no chance for life to be smooth. If somebody refuses to exercise, nobody can force him, but at that one moment in life when that person needs physical stamina, it won't be there. Sadhana is what your mental stamina requires. Love is what your spiritual stamina requires " --YB 1/22/91.

* from 3 to 5am we are in the Lung Meridian.