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Question:
What is the greatest reward of doing sadhana?
Answer: The greatest
reward of doing sadhana is that the person becomes incapable
of being defeated. Sadhana is a self-victory, and it is
a victory over time and space. Getting up is a victory
over time, and doing it is a victory over space. That
is what sadhana is. And when you do a sadhana in
the sangat, you enrich yourself in multiple ways. First,
the isolation which can hit anybody and make them
go totally crazy is defeated. Secondly, when all of you
meditate on God, the total effect of your sadhana becomes
multiplied by the number of people participating. Sadhana
is not a matter of advantages and disadvantages. It is
simply a means through which you can defeat all your miseries,
misfortunes, and handicaps. It is a very personal thing
which does not relate to anybody except yourself.
You
are supposed to go through self-evaluation every day.
That is what sadhana is. On one side is God, the superiority
of you; on one side is you; and on one side is the devil
or the inferiority of you. Between the three you
have to assess yourself.
A sadhu
is a being who has disciplined himself. Sadhana is the technique
to discipline yourself. It is a scientific way to live.
Question: I
have been having a problem with sadhana. I fall asleep
in the same posture every morning.
Answer:
Whenever you have a problem with sadhana,
you are very fortunate, because it indicates you are working
on something. That is the time to conquer it, and
get it out of your system?
Question: How
can I find out what it is?
Answer:
There is nothing to find out. Just go through it. Whenever
you have a problem with sadhana, luck is smiling on you.
That is what you have been waiting for. There is a challenge-you
can challenge it, and go through it.
Question:
How do you challenge it?
Answer:
Challenge it by doing it. Sadhana gives fearlessness and
a sense of self, as well as projection, polarity combination,
equilibrium, respectability, totality, internal and
external self-knowledge, purity, dignity, divinity,
and grace. In addition, it gives you radiance, pranic
and auric shakti. Finally, it gives you the quality of
metal which is ever shining. You become a shining, living
grace. This quality is embodied in loh-iron-which can
absorb all the heat. Sarab loh means that which absorbs
the entire heat and cold of all the universe, and still
remains neutral. That is what sadhana gives you. When
you want to be bountiful, do sadhana.
Question:
Is leading
the yoga exercises in sadhana the same as teaching a yoga
class?
Answer:
No. There are differences. One difference
is the amount of talking that should be done. In an outside
class, there is more need for inspiring, coaxing, and
explaining. Sadhana occurs in the quiet ambrosial hours.
At this time, mostly we should listen to the Infinite.
Question: Should
I change the exercises and kriyas every day?
Answer:
One part of the sadhana should stay constant long enough
for you to master, or at least experience, the changes
evoked by a single technique. Each kriya and mantra has
its individual effects, although they all elevate
you toward a cosmic consciousness. Learn to value
the pricelessness of one kriya, and all others will be
understood in a clearer light.
There
is a natural 40-day rhythm to habits in the body and mind.
It takes about 40 days of consistent practice to break
a habit. It takes about 90 days to establish a new habit
in action and in the subconscious. It is good to take
these biorhythms into account when designing your practice.
Question:
Is it important
to wear a head covering during sadhana?
Answer:
During sadhana, be sure to cover your head with
a nonstatic, natural cloth like cotton, and keep the hair
up. The hair regulates the inflow of sun energy into the
body system. To let the solar energy flow without obstruction,
let the hair grow to its full natural length, and take
good care of it. If this is done, the amount of energy
that goes downward from the Seventh Chakra increases tremendously.
The kundalini energy is activated by the radiant force
of the solar plexus and moves upward in response to the
solar energy coming down. This balances the body energy
and maintains the total equilibrium. If the hair is down,
unkept, or uncovered so that it is electrically imbalanced,
this natural process of raising the Kundalini energy will
be impeded.
Question:
If I have to leave sadhana, what is the best way?
Answer:
The same way you entered. Be aware of the presence
of the teacher by bowing in your consciousness. Be quiet
so nothing is disturbed. Choose a time to leave that is
between kriyas and meditations. A sharp noise during a
deep meditation is a shock to the total system. Do not
come and go as you please, but to please the highest teacher.
Question:
Should
I wake someone up who is sleeping in sadhana?
Answer:
No. God should wake him. The experience of sadhana is
between the individual and God. Do not interfere. You
can inspire beforehand. If sleeping is a chronic habit,
discuss it with the person at a convenient time, but do
not abruptly wake someone. He may be at a different
level of experience than you think.
It
is our intention, of course, to stay alert and awake during
sadhana. If you are leading the sadhana, you can lead
exercises which can stimulate the brain and supply blood
to the brain to help people to stay awake.
Sadhana
is to bring physical and mental awareness. Some people
pretend to be tired. They are not fortunate enough to
catch up with that gap. But it is very unfortunate on
the spiritual path when, instead of inspiring people,
we start criticizing them. That is projecting your hatred.
I
feel that in the morning when you go for sadhana, you
are going to be sadhus. What does it matter if somebody
just gets up to say, "hmmmmmm?" That person is still doing
something. At
least he is not sleeping. It is far better than a person
who is snoring at home in bed. Do you understand? Sadhana
isa willful
effort to prove you are not lazy about your own Infinity.
When the sun rises early in the day, even idiots rise.
But blessed are those who rise before the sun and prove
that they are the children of the Almighty. Does
it sound clear to you? Those who have guts will open the
gates of the heart at 3:30 am.
Question: As
the leader of sadhana, should I participate in all the
exercises?
Answer:
As
a leader, your responsibility is to set a good example
and to give clear instructions for each step of the sadhana.
You should
do as many exercises as you can without becoming unaware
of the group. You must check to make sure that everyone
understands the exercise before beginning yourself. Sometimes
it will be
better not to participate at all. Always join in during
chanting, though. When teaching a class outside of sadhana,
you should
participate as little as possible in the physical exercise.
Concentrate only on inspiring and serving the students.
Question:
Is it mandatory for the same person to lead sadhana
every morning?
Answer:
In
all Kundalini Yoga sadhanas,the
same teacher teaches every sadhana
- Guru
Ram Das. Anyone who is qualified to teach can lead a good
sadhana.It
can be very beneficial for the group to experience the
effects of slightly different styles of leadership.
Question:
When chanting
in the morning, the pitch often gets low. What, if anything,
should be done to change the pitch?
Answer:
Chant
at a constant, mid-range pitch as much as possible.
If your breath rhythm is not correct, your spine is not
kept straight, or you do not take complete breaths in
the Adi Shakti Mantra, the chant will lose energy and
drop in pitch. If you project the sound of the mantra
from the back of the mouth in a full and roundish way,
the power of the chant will increase as you continue,
and the pitch will stay constant.
If
you are constant and listen to the sound of your chant,
you will hear different pitches. These are actually overtones
of the basic sound you are creating. The overtones will
be high-pitched, subtle, and seem to float around the
room. You cannot identify that tone with one person since
it is formed by the combination of group sounds. The overtone
is a good sign that the sadhanagroup
is tuned in to each other and beyond each other. As you
listen to the first overtone and become very calm, you
may begin to hear higher and more subtle overtones. This
awareness aids meditation on the etheric echo of your
chanting, as you sit silently after chanting aloud.
Question: Is
it alright to harmonize with the main tone?
Answer:
Chanting is not singing. It is vibrating all the cells
of the - body, all the thoughts of the mind, and the core
crystal of the soul to the same shabd. Chanting in meditation
is beyond personality. Chanting like a choir with many
harmonies turns the group consciousness, which is striving
for universality, into individual consciousness responding
to social consciousness. Leave vocal harmonizing for kirtan
and group songfests. Learn to harmonize the body, mind,
and soul while chanting.
Question:
When I am sick, should I attend sadhana?
Answer:
If
you are going to be in bed all day with an extreme sickness,
then no. If it is not extreme (this includes most menstrual
periods), then attend sadhana
and do
what you can. If you cannot exercise or meditate well,
then at least attempt to meditate. Afterwards, lie
down and rest in sadhana
while
mentally listening to the shabd.This
way you will get well faster, and maintain the rhythm
of a regular sadhana.
It also
eliminates the tendency to have minor morning illnesses
to escape the self-discipline of a constant sadhana.
In other
words, participation in a group effort and regularity
of discipline are paramount. But do not be a fanatic to
the point of aggravating a serious illness.
Question:
I am a
beginner and can only spare one hour on sadhana. Will
one hour have any effect?
Answer:
Always do some sadhana no matter how short, because
every effort of the individual mind to meet the Universal
Self is reciprocated a thousand-fold. The ideal is a perfect
two-and-a-half hour sadhana. But if we are to run, we must
first learn to walk. An hour is excellent. As you grow into
sadhana, you will find time to extend it if you really want
to do so. It is good for some people to start slowly. If
you try to climb
Mt.
Everest without climbing even a foothill beforehand, failure
could discourage you from all other attempts. Build slowly
and constantly at a pace you can maintain, but definitely
do something.
Question:
Do we need
a special place for sadhana?
Answer:
A
special
place or altar is ideal. The care you give the external
environment is a sign and symbol to the mind of your intention.
The outer reflects the inner. If the place of meditation
is sloppy, it usually means you do not value relating
to that Infinite Self, or you value it, but do not believe
in it or yourself. When traveling, you do your best to
bring a sense of specialness with you to wherever you
meditate.
Question:
Should
I bring my children to sadhana?
Answer:
Your children are the future. The future will only
be as secure as the foundation that is built into the
young generation. It is very inspirational to see the
radiance from young children who attend sadhana. There
is no restriction. These hours of soothing sleep for them
are the best, but they are in good vibrations, and subconsciously
they have experienced the sadhana. So you can just bring
them with you so they can live in those vibrations. Whether
or not your particular child should attend is an individual
determination. If he has been raised in the yogic tradition
where chanting and exercise are a natural part of his
environment, then bring him. If he is disruptive during
sadhana, then his attendance should be discussed with
the rest of the group.
Question:
Is right
after sadhana a good time to take a nap?
Answer:
Right
after sadhana is a time to do anything
-
even have ice cream. Once
right after saadhanaa I ate pizza--double cheese and triple
mushrooms, and I ate it all and never gave any to anybody.
I still worry about it, but I did it.
Right after saadhana do whatever you want.
Saadhana is saadhanaa. Right
after saadhanaa it is your day. What
is God's, give to God through saadhanaa. Take
what you take during the day, but remember, when you have
to go to God, the next day you should go with a clear
heart and clean face. Naanak
te mukh oojale. Mukh oojale--mukh
means face, oojale means radiant.
(The Oriental Woman, KWTC VI, 1981, pp. 90-91)
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