Winter Solstice 2022 - New Year 2023 Sadhana Check in

[laurajhawk]

I finished my 40-day sadhana on 1/29 and one thing I learned from it is that I'm worse than ever at checking in However, I did find it helpful to read the thread and I did succeed in my main goal of re-establishing my daily meditation practice Thank you all for that!

I was at my mom's for a week at the end of January and missed a couple days of meditation but have been sitting daily since I've been back.

[toaster]

I'm doing a yoga webinar, and "sadhana" was pronounced "SA da na" - mind blown!

(Many of you probably had it correct, but for myself, I was saying "sad HAN a" in my head. )

[Vantreesta]

I say it the same way you were, Beth!

[toaster]

Originally Posted by Vantreesta

I say it the same way you were, Beth!

Honestly, I don't use more Sanskirt when teaching b/c I'm always afraid I'll mess it up! I think it's a very accessible language though, and I love the sounds of the words. I can generally write the pose names better than I can teach them!

[hch]

~20 minutes

Day 33 (2/08): visualization (light)
Day 34 (2/09): flower (image)
Day 35 (2/10): candle (image)
Day 36 (2/11): breathing (awareness)
Day 37 (2/12): mantra
Day 38 (2/13): asana (sensations in savasana)
Day 39 (2/14): incense (image)
Day 40 (2/15): yantra

I never found one clear "favorite" (or any one choice that I'd choose, or even reject, by any set of criteria that entered my mind).

Since ending the sadhana, I haven't continued with the same thing, but because of things like continuing short-term medical limitations and using time for different things, not because of anything like distaste or burnout. I'll remember this experience in thinking about what I'll do in the future.

I also hope to have a little more posting later discussing a few other things, such as body scans and yoga nidra.

[Izzy]

I am going to continue to the spring equinox on March 20th.

What I have learned is doing at least 4 yoga classes a week has done wonders for my body. I am loving the hot yoga and wish I could do at least 2 a week. My balance is better and I feel more flexible. It has not made my hip bones any wider or flexible nor has it made my short arms any longer but oh well on that.

I feel good about my consistency and when I didn't do a yoga class, I did meditations on my walks which helped.

[toaster]

That's great Mary!

[hch]

It's great to read about everyone's experiences!

A note before I post a reply about body scans and the like:

I've begun a different sadhana-like idea based on something meditative (not one of the specific practices mentioned earlier in this thread). I won't be reporting specifics here, but I mention what I'm doing for the sake of noting (again) that the sadhana idea is useful for me, at least as a mnemonic structure for practice and study, and I'll probably begin another one in April, when I should be more physically capable of doing something with more movement.

[hch]

Originally Posted by Vantreesta

The other thing I have learned or come to realize is that I don't like progressive body scans. Those also raise my anxiety a bit and make me feel very twitchy. I don't know if that's related to my RLS or just that's the way I am but I'm happy to also have realized this. I love the bedtime stories on Insight Timer as well as music and soundscapes but the yoga nidra ones I have tried have all had the body scan so I'm not trying those anymore.

Here I wonder what other things may work for you and others who feel similarly, though I'm not demanding a reply here or anything like that. If anyone's interested in asking such a question, this question may be an idea for a new thread. So far I've had some experience with things called "yoga nidra" and have found mainly (or only) practices with body scans. I myself haven't had general problems with body scans as such, but I don't tend to find "progressive muscle relaxation"--with successive tensing and relaxing various parts--as psychologically relaxing as some sources have implied.

P.S.

By next week or so (depending on what happens with a major medical procedure currently scheduled for later this week --I do hope for it to resolve the problems that have inhibited my physical activity for some time), I hope to begin something different that doesn't involve body scans (as I think of the term) but does involve inducing feelings in various parts of the body, something called autogenic training.

I'll be trying a 14-week training program from a book; similar phrasing appears in a PDF handout from the US Veterans Health Administration titled "Autogenic Training" and another PDF which it cites, a document with the same name from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.

My primary goal isn't stress reduction or relaxation as such, but I've found previous trials with the beginning stages ("my [limb] is getting heavy") very relaxing and haven't finished the whole 14 weeks in previous attempts not from unease or discomfort because of different practical reasons. (An extended recovery period may be a good opportunity for me to try it again.)

I was already aware that 14 weeks is 98 days and have considered attaching something like a sadhana-inspired reading schedule to at least part of it. Our recent mentions of yoga nidra remind me of how I didn't do yoga nidra during the sadhana period this year, and if I have the time, I may try it somewhat regularly then. (After that time, I hope to be better able to try something more physically demanding.)

[Vantreesta]

Originally Posted by hch

Here I wonder what other things may work for you and others who feel similarly, though I'm not demanding a reply here or anything like that. If anyone's interested in asking such a question, this question may be an idea for a new thread. So far I've had some experience with things called "yoga nidra" and have found mainly (or only) practices with body scans. I myself haven't had general problems with body scans as such, but I don't tend to find "progressive muscle relaxation"--with successive tensing and relaxing various parts--as psychologically relaxing as some sources have implied.

P.S.

By next week or so (depending on what happens with a major medical procedure currently scheduled for later this week --I do hope for it to resolve the problems that have inhibited my physical activity for some time), I hope to begin something different that doesn't involve body scans (as I think of the term) but does involve inducing feelings in various parts of the body, something called autogenic training.

I'll be trying a 14-week training program from a book; similar phrasing appears in a PDF handout from the US Veterans Health Administration titled "Autogenic Training" and another PDF which it cites, a document with the same name from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.

My primary goal isn't stress reduction or relaxation as such, but I've found previous trials with the beginning stages ("my [limb] is getting heavy") very relaxing and haven't finished the whole 14 weeks in previous attempts not from unease or discomfort because of different practical reasons. (An extended recovery period may be a good opportunity for me to try it again.)

I was already aware that 14 weeks is 98 days and have considered attaching something like a sadhana-inspired reading schedule to at least part of it. Our recent mentions of yoga nidra remind me of how I didn't do yoga nidra during the sadhana period this year, and if I have the time, I may try it somewhat regularly then. (After that time, I hope to be better able to try something more physically demanding.)

I haven't heard of autogenic training but will look into it. Thanks for providing links!

I hope your medical procedure alleviates your physical limitations and is successful! Wishing you a full and speedy recovery after the procedure.