For a woman it is important and very beneficial to start and end the day right. Today, we will talk about the ending of it, and some other time I will share about the beginning. Sadhana is a beautiful way to do it.
What does this mean – “right”? It means to connect with yourself, to come back to what you are, to remember who you are, to get in touch with your heart, soul, spirit. To get in touch with the Universe/God/Creator/Source, anyone or anything that gave you the gift to be here. In other words, it means to be grateful for the day in whatever way feels appropriate to you. And here is an example of how it could be, outside of any religion or beliefs, but still spiritual and meaningful.
What is Sadhana?
First of all, to make all the things and rituals we perform come together, we use one word – Sadhana. Thus, Sadhana is simply a spiritual routine, a number of practices you do to allow yourself to turn inward, to get in touch with your Highest Self, to surrender and put your ego away for some time. And those practices usually consist of yoga, mediation, chanting, praying, contemplating, journaling. Anything that makes you feel whole and uplifted, and surrendered.
It is also simply important to change your mode of operation before you go to sleep, to have better rest and to wake up more fresh and happy. The state of being and mind that we have when we go to bed directly affects our mood the next day, when we wake up. Perhaps, you may remember times, when you went to bed after having an argument with someone. You probably didn’t feel good and it took you some time to calm down and actually fall asleep. And how did you feel the next morning? What mood did you have that day? Most likely, you know what I am talking about.
So we now know that rituals are important before the sleep. They will help us start the day the right way. And dream after all is basically a tiny repetition of death. And when we die, we usually turn to God or Source naturally. We should have the same kind of state of mind before we fall asleep. If you have never done anything like that before, morning or night, you may need a few times to train your brain to “like” it. Why brain? Because your soul and your essence already loves it now, when you are reading these lines. But your brain might resist, because it is not its domain. But it is okay, we will give it some time and take it slowly. We will also introduce some tasty things so that brain can enjoy it too 🙂
Let’s jump in.
Evening Sadhana
♥ First things first, decide how much time you can spend on it. It can be anything between thirty minutes to an hour. You can even start with just fifteen minutes, and then increase the time gradually.
♥ Turn on some calm, meditative music or mantra you enjoy, maybe some kirtan. Anything that does not excite your mind but does the opposite. You can then close your eyes and listen to it for a few minutes, enjoying the moment. You may choose not to use any music too, just take a few moments to stay in silence to prepare yourself.
♥ Now, start breathing. You can do any pranayama, or breathing exercise, you choose to perform. It can be simply deep mindful breathing, or breathing of 4-4-4, when you count to four while inhaling, holding the breath, and exhaling. You can do alternate nostril breathing, which is very soothing for the mind, where you hold your one nostril with your thumb finger and inhale with the other, and then vice versa. Just breathe.
♥ Start thinking about the day behind you. It is now in the past, so you can be thankful for this day and for all the lessons it brought. You may talk about all of them out loud, or maybe journal about them. You can simply walk back mentally to the beginning of your day, staying grateful and holding your hands in Namasté or praying position by your heart. Gratitude makes us free from pride and teaches us to accept things.
♥ Next step would be to forgive. Think of anyone who hurt you intentionally or unintentionally, and forgive them fully. It is a very important step because it creates space in our heart for more love and peace to come. If we cannot forgive and let go, we may wake up with the same pain in our heart, or with bad mood. Our mind will be disturbed from the very beginning. You can also simply say words “I forgive you” out loud, while holding your hand at your heart. A perfect thing to say, and extremely healing, is “I am forgiving you completely and letting you go with love/light!”
♥ Now it is time for your prayer, whatever it may be. If you do japa practice with malas, do it for one to two circles. Or, if you are into Christianity, read some evening prayers. Alternatively, if you are not a part of any religious tradition, just use your own words. They go from your heart, and that is all that matters.
♥ We can now end our evening Sadhana. It would be good to simply bow once or a few times, in general to the Universe, or to the image of a deity or a saint. Anything that represents God/Source for you. It can also be a Moon or your altar.
And that is all! Try to go to bed right after you are finished. This way, your state of mind and your thankful thinking will permeate your subconsciousness deeply, and sleep will help with that.
I wish you a happy evening Sadhana. Note how you feel the next day and share it here in the comments below 🙂
Namasté and blessings, beauties.
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