So you have decided to do sadhana but you don’t have a clue where to start, what to do first? 

This was the question I had in my mind 6 years ago, clueless & impatient I jumped right into the fire, that is : I started chanting mantras & I paid the price with not moving forward materially as well as spiritually. The results were inconclusive, I was lost, confused & frustrated. 

Luckily things did get better & I learned some key factors to propel myself further on the path of sadhana, the only regret I had was that I didn’t know earlier & the time I lost. 

So in service of the community & by the grace of swamiji & my guru , here’s a list of things you can do to move further on path of sadhana. 

  1. Asana Siddhi : A still body is a must, with a straight back & even shoulders, it’s the hallmark of a yogi. Perfecting your posture will help you achieve the stillness of mind & the patience necessary, aiding in your meditation & daily life enormously. 
  2. Nadi Shuddhi : It’s necessary for the unobstructed flow of prana, the vital force, if you are taking up any kind of sadhana, your nadis should be cleansed so that the energy you acquire can travel throughout the body without any blockage. 
  3. Pranayama : After the nadis are cleansed & the body is still, one should attempt pranayama, not before that, says the great sage patanjali, once you have achieve the control of breath, new dimensions of experience open up for you. 

Perfecting these 3 practices will greatly help you on your spiritual path, the reason I am saying this, even if you find a good guru ( ex : a sri vidya upasaka), he / she will access your energy & will make you do these practices to prepare you, which will take a year, before you can get deeksha in mantra & sadly time is an uncertain entity so to save your time I will suggest that you take up these practices, if not all 3, try achieving asana siddhi, it will be a remarkable experience to achieve it & it opens up new dimensions for you, not to mention what 6 hrs of stillness can do for you as said by my guru: your personal magnetism increases & anything you need truly will come without being sought after. 

This I have witnessed first hand, so I hope & wish for any new seeker that this tiny bit of information will help, cause you never know when times comes for you, so better get ready & do Sadhana.

Peace & joy, 

Sahil πŸ™