Establishing Practice
When I arrived in India in the early 90s I stepped backwards in time.
Even today, after a few decades of modernization, India still retains its old world charm - customs, music, spiritual practices, festivals all trace their heritage back through 100s or 1000s of years of repetition of tradition.
How does the Chinese saying go? “A cart travels easily in old ruts?” There is a profound potency tied up with the habit of repetition - ie practice.
India is a country of practices - innumerable practices - in every field there is an element of ritual practice.
Many people were already awake as I walked to the shala in the early morning. The night air was filled with the sights, sounds and smells of spiritual practice - chanting, puja, burning incense, oil lamps, flower garlands, chalk rangolis, the ringing of bells - a visual and aural tapestry of ritual and worship going on everywhere. The walk was magical and mysterious and I often felt as if i was in some kind of dream or trance making my way to the shala.
My practice would usually start around 3.30-4AM but if I was a bit late, as I rounded the corner to enter the shala street, I would hear the deep rhythmic ujjaii breath echoing down the alley. Almost like a sacred mantram vibrating out into the night air - It was as if the room itself breathed, had potency.
Practice was going on all around us - chanting, worship, puja, cooking, cleaning, asana , pranayama, meditation… This gave us so much support in establishing our own sadhana (practice).
Sadhana is one of India’s greatest gifts to the World in this modern age. In a sedentary culture, daily practice is essential for good health and mental well being. The great thing about a yoga practice is that you do not depend on anyone else. Once you have learned it, it is yours. You can do it anywhere.
How do you Develop a Practice?
Practice depends on memory. That puts some people off. However, it’s more like the kind of memory you need for riding a bicycle or driving a car - although you may need to invest a bit of energy in the beginning, you can drive without thinking pretty quickly.
Company of others and a conducive atmosphere support our practice - when humans meet with common intention, their efforts support each other - this is extremely helpful when we start to establish a practice. In fact, the shala becomes the one place where some people can find a moment of peace.
The key to building up a practice is to develop it gradually - a practice should be built up little by little. This allows one to memorize easily - small sections at a time. It also allows the body to gradually transform - stretch, detoxify, open. If we want to sustain changes, they should be cultivated slowly.
However, daily practice is a key to getting depth. A little bit of practice every day is much more helpful than a big workout once a week. This is true for strength and flexibility, for pain free-practice, sustained psychological benefits etc..
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Yoga Sutra
अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ॥ १२॥
1.12 abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṃ tan-nirodhaḥ
तत्र स्थितौ यत्नोऽभ्यासः ॥ १३॥
1.13 tatra sthitau yatno'bhyāsaḥ
स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः ॥ १४॥
1.14 sa tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkārāsevito dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ
“Practice and non-attachment are the means to controlling the mind. Practice is the effort exerted to establish steadiness of mind. It becomes firmly established when meditation has been continued without interruption for a significant period of time with dedication and devotion to truth.”
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