It's time to talk about Sadhana

Mind. Body. Spirit.

Hey! It’s Jenny, your favorite Alaskan yoga teacher.

Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share stories about my life, insights from my personal yoga practice and the best online resources, handpicked just for you.

Our summer series continues! For the past seven weeks, we've explored the theme of personal practice. Today, we shift our focus to sadhana, offering a fresh perspective on our personal practice.

You can access the first seven issues of the summer series, and the entire Root&Rise library, in the Archive located on our homepage.

Your Sadhana re-ignites your inner world, transforming your outer world into a bliss-filled land of infinite possibilities. Roger Gabriel

Sanskrit is the language of yoga. As one of the oldest documented languages, it offers modern day practitioners a connection to yoga’s ancient roots.

You’re probably already familiar with some commonly used Sanskrit terms, like savasana. Many yoga teachers cue poses in both Sanskrit and English. Using Sanskrit is an important sign of respect for the cultural traditions of yoga, but there’s also another important reason behind it.

Lost in Translation

Modern yoga is often considered a “mind+body” practice, excluding one of the most essential elements of traditional yoga: spirit. This omission is obvious when we compare the language of modern yoga with the original Sanskrit terms.

Take pranayama for example. In English, pranayama translates to “Breath Regulation”, but If you break the word down in Sanskrit, you get a much deeper definition. Prana is “life force” and yama means “control”. I’ve also seen the Sanskrit divided into prana and ayama, meaning expansion, drawing out or rising.

The Sanskrit words provide context and show us that pranayama is the practice of using breath control to expand our own precious and powerful life force energy.

That hits a little different than “regulating the breath” doesn’t it?

The English translation tells us what the practice is. Sanskrit describes the purpose of the practice.

Defining Sadhana

Armed with this understanding, we can look to Sanskrit to discover the deeper purpose behind personalizing our yoga practice, and how spirit factors into it.

Sadhana, the Sanskrit term for daily spiritual practice, has various interpretations. Brett Larkin defines it as “methodical discipline to attain desired knowledge or goal.” While there are many translations, my favorite comes from Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji...

“Dhana” means wealth, the treasure. So, this is the path, the practice which gives you the real treasure of spirituality, treasure of devotion, treasure of Love. Sadhana. This Sadhana is also coming from the root word “Sad”, meaning some specialized practice to achieve some perfection, efficiency or proficiency in some way. Proficiency In the art of life.

“What is Sadhana?” Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji

To me, this means that a successful sadhana uses the tools of yoga to engage the body, mind, and spirit. Sadhana is about mastering the art of living.

So, what does a successful sadhana entail? It completely depends on the individual.

The good news is, you’ve already done a lot of work to personalize our practice. You likely know what style of yoga, time of day and types of practices work best for you. Hopefully, you’ve been experimenting with a variety of classes, meditations and teachers, cultivating a reliable and supportive routine.

Your dedication to your personal practice means you’re already on the path of sadhana. Keep showing up, exploring, and refining your practice. Sadhana is dynamic and constantly evolving. Embrace this journey with an open heart and you will continue to grow, on and off your yoga mat.

Yoga For Spiritual Connection | Crown Chakra Focused | Black Yogi Nico Marie

16:49 | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

Nico always delivers a nice, well balanced class. This one is no different.

Nico does a good job of using specific poses, like rabbit, to guide attention towards the crown and encourage the release of any blocked or stagnant energy. Her guided savasana, with crown chakra affirmations at the end, is a very nice touch.

All in all, a lovely little class for connecting mind, body AND spirt.

Multidimensional Being Meditation | MetaAnatomy | Kristen Leal

17 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

I was introduced to this meditation during my first round of yoga teacher training. I like it because It subtly opens the door to higher consciousness and expands my awareness in a way that stays with me long after the practice is over.

Kristen Leal is an anatomy expert, yoga teacher and all around amazing human. Her unique approach to teaching colors all of her offerings with a trademark quirkyness that I absolutely adore.

One note, Kristen refers to the body as “The Meat Suit” and maybe I’m immature, but it makes me giggle…every single time. So, if you’re a kid a heart like me..prepare to laugh mid meditation.

10 Min Yoga to Nourish the Mind Body and Spirit | Yoga With Bird

15 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

This is my favorite class I’ve taken with Bird. It’s a lovely little sequence. I practiced it first thing in the morning and immediately added it to my “Morning Favorites” playlist.

I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed that the class didn’t reflect the title though. Bird does not go out of her way to call in the “Spirit” side of things, but I guess that’s just a testament to the point I’ve been trying to make. Mind and body never operate separate from spirit. It’s not really necessary to conjure spirit with bells and whistles. It’s always here, even in the simplest of practices. A good reminder for me!

Sadhana is a rich, expansive topic that we're just beginning to explore. We've only skimmed the surface today, and I look forward to diving deeper into it with all of you in the upcoming weeks.

In other news, the salmon are running and the flowers are in full bloom in Alaska. It’s all so beautiful and fleeting, I just had to share some if it with you. The flowers on the Root/Reflection banner are fireweed. Legend has it, when the blooms reach the top of the stalk, the salmon are done running for the season.

See you guys next Sunday!