It's been about a month since I completed Sadhanapada, a seven-month residential program at the Isha Yoga Center for inner transformation. An intense, challenging, transformative, and fantastic experience for me. Sadhnapada is an intense program with the focus to go inwards, a space for spiritual growth. It's a stepping stone to establish balance, clarity and intensity within. It's difficult to put in words what and how the seven months have been but I am going to attempt to share with you some experiences and learnings. I went to Sadhanapada intending to find joy within myself; I found so much more. I found silence, stillness, clarity, balance, love within and of course joy. I found tools of well-being to live my life. I found a guru, someone who is guiding me in the journey of life.
The top three aspects of the program for me were sadhana, seva and spirituality.
Sadhana - Learning Hatha yoga and Kriya yoga was one very important part of the program. The time I spent in the ashram helped me bring discipline in doing the practices, deepen the practices, and experience the stillness and flexibility that comes from doing them. For someone who finds it difficult to wake up early (still do!), I was able to wake up at 4:30 am and go through the whole day. It was wonderful to do the different programs, learn the different practices. One program that was a deep and wonderful experience was Shoonya. It was also very supportive to be able to establish the practices I learned in a supportive environment.
Beyond the physical practices, I was able to experientially understand the Inner engineering tools - create my inner the way I want, see beyond my identifications and boundaries of the body and mind, and handle situations with ease. I was able to look at different aspects of my life as sadhana, look at them consciously like food, sleep, conversation and relationships. Definitely have a long way to go in my sadhana, both in my practices and within myself but the journey has begun with a bang because of the intense experience through the program. I have many ups and downs, especially after coming out of the space but the learning continues.
Seva - Seva means volunteering, in the day I would spend 6-7 hours volunteering in the activities at the ashram. For most of the 7 months, I was in the role of a transcriber, converting audio into script. A role that I never imagined myself doing because I never considered my English skills that good and neither was this an interest area. However, this was the role I was assigned, so I decided to do it willingly and give my hundred percent to it. Over time I improved my skills and got better in my written English, something I am quite satisfied with. I really enjoyed my seva because most of the audio that I would transcribe would be of Sadhguru, I got to listen to him so much and received so much wisdom. I feel blessed to have gotten to do something in which I received and learned so much. My team was also so amazing, it was a very nice experience to be part of a supportive work environment. There were challenges, especially I had resistance towards doing night seva, post-dinner, but that was also an opportunity to push beyond my limitations. Apart from my main seva, I also got to volunteer in other spaces occasionally. I especially like serving in the dining hall, it was an experience of throwing myself completely into what I am doing, becoming willing to life.
Spirituality - It was different to live in a consecrated space, to live in a space where everything and everybody is striving towards inner transformation. I experienced energy, I connected with Devi, with Shiva, with a guru, with the mountains, the moon, with simply everything around me. When I sat in Dhyanalinga, I experienced something different, so much stillness within. The experience of going into complete silence for three days was an intense and revealing experience for me. I don't know how to share this aspect of my spiritual growth in words but it was a very different experience during my time there. One experience has been that before I used to get very disturbed by the constant gears of the mind running but now I am able to experience some distance between body and mind and I no more get disturbed by it. Within me I feel a lot has transformed, the way I conduct myself within myself has become different; I feel empowered, joyful, balanced and alive.
Sadhanapada was a roller coaster ride, it was one of the most challenging yet profound things I have done in my life. The schedule was intense, morning 4:30am to night 10pm is packed with sadhana, seva and daily activities; this intense schedule was challenging for me. I pushed a lot of limitations within myself starting with waking up so early in the morning. Eating two meals a day, doing intense and many hours of yoga and meditation, minimal time on the phone, no holidays were some things where I went beyond my comfort zone. I decide to give myself fully to the process and willingly do what's needed, I think that approach made it smoother for me to work through my challenges and break my limitations. There were days when I wondered what I am doing and why am I here but in the end the journey was worth it.
Sadhanapada has been a stepping stone into a journey of consciousness, a technology to live life joyfully and fully. I am deeply grateful to Sadhguru, the Sadhanapada team, the entire ashram, my fellow participants, my family and everything that made it possible for me to experience these seven months.
Life is a play for one who is absolute balance - Sadhguru
Know more about the Sadhanapada program - click here
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