Practice is the commitment to become established in the state of freedom.
(Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1-13)
Be diligent is your efforts to attain liberation.
(the Buddha’s last words)
Practice is what Sati Yoga is about. All classic yoga texts emphasize that it is only through regular practice that one progresses in yoga.
Going to classes and workshops is useful to learn yoga techniques, but practice is a solitary activity. Once you know enough to do a 15 minutes practice on your own, start your own practice.
Once a daily practice is established, the wisdom gained while on the mat (or cushion) supports the practitioner as they move through their daily lives. One of the main priorities of any yoga teacher should be to help students establish their own home practices.
Once you have decided how much time you are going to devote daily to your practice, you need to design a practice schedule.
A balanced practice will include Surya Namaskar (sun salutaitons), some Asanas, some sitting practice (Pranayama / Meditation) and some time in Savasana.
All these elements should be kept in balance. Beginners will probably want to emphasize Asana practice, while more advanced practitioners may choose to emphasize other aspects.
As you start on the path…
“First train in the preliminaries” (Atisha mind training slogans)
Before any serious transformative practice is undertaken, the mind has to be steadied and turned toward the goal. This is done by adopting a suitable lifestyle and following some guidelines on ethical conduct.
In Buddhism, these preliminaries are covered, by the five precepts, and in yoga, by the yamas.
- The first and most important guideline is non harming (called Ahimsa in yoga).
These means that any spiritual aspirant make it their top priority to abandon lines of conduct that result in harm to any kind of living beings. This may entails a change to a vegetarian diet, but also a change of job (if your current job is connected to the meat or arm trade, for example) - The second one is right speech (called Satya in yoga).
This means not just abstaining not just from lying but also from slander, abusive or harsh speech and gossip or frivolous speech. Master Gautama describes right speech as timely, true, gentle, beneficial, and kind. - The third one is abstaining from taking what is not freely given (called Asteya in yoga).
- The fourth one is wise use of energy, particularly sexual energy (called Bramacharya in yoga). Using sex as entertainment, as we often do in our Western culture, is not an option for anyone on a journey of self development. An aspirant energy should be directed toward the goal of living a more useful and fulfilling life.
- Buddhism recommends complete abstinence from mind-altering drugs, while yoga recommends non attachment (Aparigraha). Both practices are most useful to achieve more peace of mind.
Just imagine how different the world would be if everyone followed all of these guidelines, or even just one of them!
To follow these guidelines consistently, a certain level of mindfulness is necessary, and cultivating this is also one of the preliminaries.
Practice time
The best time to practice is early in the morning before you start your day. The mind is clear and there are fewer distractions. Decide on how long you want to practice, and set your alarm clock to allow you to have finished practicing by the time you would normally start your day.
Then all you have to do is get up and go. You will soon find that not only you don’t need the extra sleep, but that by the time you have finished, body and mind are clearer and more energised than if you’d stayed in bed. If early morning doesn’t suit, choose the time that fits best into your schedule, but make sure that it’s at least three and preferably four hours after a meal, as yoga must be practiced on an empty stomach.
Also make sure that you won’t be disturbed while you are practising: turn off your mobile phone, and tell the kids, partners or house mates to leave you alone for a while, practice is a solitary activity. In the Paññā Sutta, AN 8:2, the Buddha lists seclusion of body and mind as one of the eight conditions for the arising and development of wisdom, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika also insists on seclusion as a condition for success in yoga.
Beginners should aim for a 30 min practice, or may be a bit more if there’s plenty of time, but should avoid being too ambitious. As you progress, your practice will naturally lengthen.
Regularity is the key to success. It is best to aim to practise every day, although taking a day off once a week may be beneficial.
If you are sick or injured, you will need to modify your practice routine to accommodate your condition, and may need expert advice on how to do this, but always try to do as much as you can. This will speed up your recovery.
Women can also take the first few days of their period off, especially if bleeding is heavy, or at least should do a modified, quieter practice and avoid all inversion and strong backbends during that time.
Practice place
Ideally, you’d have a room in your house dedicated solely to spiritual pursuits, but for most of us, this isn’t be possible. All you need, really, is 8’x4′ (about 3 sqm) of clean, level floor space in a properly heated room.
If practising outdoors in warm climates, avoid direct sunlight.
Don’t wear socks, and make sure no one is watching.
Getting kitted out
It’s best to have a special set of clothes that you only use for yoga practice. These should allow complete freedom of movement and preferably be made of natural fibre, cotton is best.
Some people practice in shorts, some in dance clothes, some in track suits, and of course, some in specialised (and usually overpriced) yoga clothes. All of these work fine, as long as they are comfortable and clean.
A non slip yoga mat is strongly recommended for Asana practice. It’s worth paying more for a good quality, hard wearing one, as some of the cheap ones don’t last very long!
For sitting practice, a blanket folded on the floor is enough for some die hards, but most people will also want a meditation cushion, or a zafu, or a meditation stool, or a yoga block, or even all of them.
Any yoga online shop will be happy to sell you these, just shop.
Some practitioners prefer to sit on a chair, a good and inexpensive option for people with stiff hips.