Benefit Of Yoga - 3 Steps To Daily Practice

Yoga is not hard to learn, but it takes discipline to maintain the effort. Like every good thing, yoga requires patience to learn the skills, and dedication to continue the practice. There are no shortcuts to yoga - either you learn and follow the discipline, or you fail.

1. Daily Routine of Practice.
Have a fixed procedure for practice each day. A good way to start is through meditation, which should be a part of your daily routine, anyway. One must prepare the mind and spirit, clearing it of unnecessary trivial matter to begin their practice.

Meditation is very easy to perform. I have found the biggest key to meditation is establishing both a routine and a ritual. You must be able to set aside a minimum of 15 minutes each day for meditation, and the best time for beginners is in the morning upon rising. At this time, your mind is not full from the day's activities, nor is it cluttered with any worries or cares. A sense of a new beginning is upon you, and you look forward to your day.

Ritual is important in that it brings a sense of "rightness" to your meditation. We learn meditation the best through practice and repetition. Items such as a special prayer rug, used only for meditation, is important. Also of great importance is utilizing the same Asana (posture) for your meditative practice. I always meditate facing East, facing the family altar that graces the east wall of my studio.

Later on in your practice, you may find that slipping into a meditative state is very easy to do. But for beginners in meditation, setting a ritual and schedule for your practice is of utmost importance.

2. Setting A Resolve. Vow to give up bad habits like harming or hurting other beings, telling lies, and hurting others; be mindful of these things and vow to give them up. This cannot be accomplished overnight. The important thing here is awareness. Learn to be mindful of these negative aspects in your life. You will benefit from the awareness if nothing else.

3. A Spiritual Diary. When you go to bed each night, review what you have done since morning. This diary may consist of questions you may ask yourself about your actions of the day. "Did I hurt anyone's feelings today?" Did I let anger take control of me?" "Was I insensitive to my partner's feelings and wishes?" By doing this on a regular basis, you become more aware of your environment, and of others around you. Each night before going to bed, I set aside 15 minutes to write the thoughts and cares of the day in my journal. It has been a practice for me for over 50 years, and it helps me put to rest the problems of the day before retiring.

Begin with these methods. By making the effort to begin your practice correctly, you will make great progress towards serious Sadhana, or practice of Yoga. And when your efforts are realized, you will find the peace, harmony and special spiritual joy in your life...

Peace,

Charlie~