Collecting the Cream of Sadhana

In this weeks Spot, Sadhguru speaks about the unique period of time between the winter solstice
and the next full moon, which is very conducive for a person to make use of for sadhana. This
phase of the year from the solstice in December till the next Pournami is in many ways the most
fruitful for those who are striving to transcend. This is the time life bears fruit much more easily
than at other times. To make use of this, many things were done."
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Jan 23, 2013

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I
n the life of the planet, on which we exist and in turn, in the lives of all that exists
upon this planet, this phase of the year from the solstice in December till the second
Amavasya and the next Pournami is in many ways the most fruitful for those who are
striving to transcend. This is the time life bears fruit much more easily than at other
times. To make use of this, many things were done. The trees and plants bear fruit or
flower at this time much more easily; not only because of the favorable temperature
changes, but also because of the very favorable elemental changes that happen. Now,
of all the five elements, one element which is playing a very significant or major role

in the making of who you are, is the water. And it is only at this time, maximum
amount of water is sitting off the atmosphere and on the land. As time passes, a huge
volume of water will hang in the sky. You see, not a cloud in the sky! Gradually, as
summer comes, a whole lot of water will rise, leaving the planet to deposit itself in so
many ways.

This is the time life bears fruit much more

easily than at other times.
Just after winter, when water is at its maximum upon the land, this is the time to
transform the basic structure of the human body. This is so everywhere, but
particularly in the northern hemisphere. Summer is not so severe in the southern
hemisphere since most of the land mass is in the northern hemisphere. Over seventy
percent of you is water. Whether you are aware of it or not, the body is aware of it. As
the summers heat rises and water begins to go somewhere, your body doesnt feel
very comfortable. Spring time everything is at its best; the physical body feels at its
best, its at ease. Being at ease, is not a simple thing. Thats one thing most of the
humanity doesnt even experience. What it means to be at ease? A mosquito can throw
you off. A little insect can throw you off. Youre sitting here, if just a dry leaf comes
and touches you, it can throw you off because the body is not at ease. Coming to ease
is not a simple thing. Coming to ease means youre in perfect sync with the Creation.
The body comes to a certain level of ease, even if youre an agitated person. In this
phase, these two-and-a-half months, there is a certain ease in the system. One should
make use of it. Thats why the sadhana. This is not whipping sadhana. This is
collecting the cream sadhana.
It is actually much better not to collect it, just leave it, not bothered about what youre
making. Simply doing the sadhana. Every year, no account-keeping. Simply throw
your life into it and see. Once in a lifetime, well check. No, no, no, thats not
possible. At least every day, we must know where were going, isnt it? At least once a
day, we must know whether this is really working or not. If youre checking once a

day, you definitely wont go anywhere. At least once a year were allowing, okay
check your accounts and see, Are we moving forward or backward? Whole year if
youre doing sadhana, now butter-collecting sadhana, How much do I have?

In this phase, these two-and-a-half months,

there is a certain ease in the system.
To bring the system to ease, to such a sense of ease, that your body clearly, clearly
understands that its a part of this earth. The body understands its a part of this earth,
but you think youre something, thats a whole problem. If you come to a certain ease,
your spiritual process becomes easy because the body clearly understands this. Even if
you dont get I am not this, the body has gotten it. Everything comes to ease. This
ease in the physical body, this elemental comfort that it comes to with what is around,
is very important.
The Shivanga sadhana for ladies will end on the ninth of February [Thaipoosam] and
the sadhana for gents will end on the twenty-fourth of February [Mahashivratri]. This
is to check the cream. This years sadhana, How much cream have I generated? If
you ask me, its better to check once a lifetime. But if this is the last one, better to
check every year whether youre getting there or not.
When there is no clarity about the route you travel, milestones are a must. A milestone
does nothing but just confirms for a wary traveler that indeed he is going towards the
destination. But for one who is sure of his path and journey, the milestone is just a
matter of checking time and not much consequence. Sadhana can be of many kinds,
work and activity can be of many times, but harvest is the sweetest of activity.
May you know the joy of the process and ecstasy of harvest.
Love & Grace,

Sadhguru looks at how sadhana in yoga is always designed to work on every aspect of a human
being, and why ignoring some aspects and focusing on others can be problematic.

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Feb 27, 2015

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Question: Ive been doing my practices for three years and I havent had any great
experiences or seen any changes in me. What should motivate me to continue doing
the practices?

Sadhguru: You need to understand what a practice is. If you want to consciously
move your hand, you can. If you want to move your mind somewhere, you can do that
too, to some extent. Similarly, you can move your emotions. Can you move your
energies? No. We do the practices so that that part of your life begins to move too. If
everything moves your body, your mind, your emotions but your energies dont
move, you still dont go anywhere. The practice is to loosen that dimension of your
life which is normally not in your hands.
Your physical body is largely in your hands, but still it is not moving the way you
want it. It is doing its own things. Your mind could easily be taken into your hands,
but it may also not be doing what you want right now. It may be doing a thousand
other things. Your emotions can easily be focused and taken where you want, but that
also may not be happening. But if you make up your mind, you can move your body,
mind, and emotions. Every one of you is capable of that if you really make up your
mind. But even if you make up your mind, you cannot move your energies. This is not
in your grasp at all.

If you want to move from one dimension to

another, all the four have to move there is
no other way.
The sadhana is brought into your life so that that dimension of your life begins to
move. If transformation is not happening, it means that you are not doing much about
the other three dimensions. Your body, your mind and your emotions have not been

disciplined, but you are doing practices because you think it is some kind of a magic
wand that will pay off for you. It will, but still
Four-wheel drive!

It is like, right now, in some places in the ashram, there is a certain level of soggy soil.
When you drive, one mistake and you will be stuck. Even if just one wheel is stuck
and the other three wheels are spinning, still you cannot go anywhere. You are stuck
badly enough. Sometimes, two are stuck, the other two are spinning you are not
going anywhere. Sometimes, all three are stuck. If only one is spinning nothing! If
all are stuck, that is a different matter. When all are stuck, you cannot call it a car
anymore it is part of the earth. You are not going anywhere.
Life is just like that. If your journey has to be from one dimension to another, all the
four have to move. On one or two wheels, you can still do your career, manage your
family and be successful in the world, but if you want to move from one dimension to
another, all the four have to move there is no other way. Otherwise you wont go
anywhere. So you may be doing your practices but neglecting the other aspects.
We have always told you this, but in a different way But the younger generation is
slowly reducing their communication to five-word sentences. You must make a
sentence only with five words, otherwise they will lose their focus. As people are
becoming like this, I am also trying to make the teaching like this, because otherwise,
it goes over peoples heads.

A crash course

So I am giving you a formula kind of teaching. This is, every day in the morning,
before you do your sadhana, you give yourself a crash course ofInner Engineering. If
one dose a day is not enough, remind yourself every hour and do your sadhana. You
will see, it will work much better because now, the other three dimensions body,
mind, and emotions are being taken care of.

You have to remind yourself. Otherwise, your thought, your emotion, your physicality
keeps getting entangled with just about everything around you. If you are just trying
to pump up your energies, it wont go anywhere because three wheels are stuck, one
wheel is spinning. So, every day, every hour, or why not every minute, remind
yourself. It just takes ten seconds.

Every day in the morning, before you do

your sadhana, you give yourself a crash
course of Inner Engineering.
On the first day, when you were initiated, it worked. Later on, why is not working?
You are not setting the necessary conditions, thats all. Otherwise, as you practice, it
should work better. Anything that you do should work better as you practice. If it does
not work better, it is simply because you are not setting the needed conditions. So
release the other three wheels. This wheel (the energies) will spin anyway. Still it may
not move ahead because you may be in a deep ditch. It is okay, keep spinning. As long
as your wheels are spinning, even if you are not moving, all you need is a nudge.
When we feel you are ready to go, we may give you a nudge, and you will start
moving. But if wheels are stuck, thats tough. Then you need much more than a
nudge. So you must keep all the four wheels spinning.

Margazhi A Time of Stability

At the onset of the Tamil month of Margazhi, Sadhguru speaks about the spiritual significance of
this time and how we can make use of it to create balance and stability within ourselves.
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Dec 15, 2016 |
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At the onset of the Tamil month of Margazhi, Sadhguru speaks about the spiritual
significance of this time and how we can make use of it to create balance and stability
within ourselves.

Sadhguru: We are at a time of the year which is considered significant for those on
the spiritual path. The Tamil month of Margazhi starts from December 16th. At this
time of year the planet Earth is closest to the sun. In the northern hemisphere this
should have been the hottest month, but it is the coolest because the northern face of
the planet is facing away from the sun. The closeness to the sun renders an angle
where the suns rays are diffused as they hit the planet. They fail to warm the earth as
they would have if it were a little away. But in terms of the suns gravity functioning
on the planet, right now it is at the highest. January 2 nd, 2016 is the day when the
planet is closest to the sun, so the maximum pull of the suns gravity happens at this
time. That is the effect the Margazhi month has on the human system it pulls you
from the base.
Margazhi is a time to bring balance and stability to the system. There are practices in
the yogic system which have been transmitted into the culture in many different ways.
This is a time when men will do what generally women are supposed to do, and vice
versa. In Tamil Nadu, men will go on nagarasankeertan; they will sing and practice
devotion which are largely considered feminine. Geometry and masculinity are very
directly connected. The feminine always pays maximum significance to an objects
color and outer form. The masculine always sees the geometric base first. In this
month, women practice geometry not on paper, but in front of their homes, drawing
geometrical figures or kolams.

Because of a general pull downward, the muladhara (the foundation chakra), and thus
the preservative nature of life, become dominant. All life in the northern hemisphere is
at its minimum right now. If you plant a seed, the growth will be slowest at this time,
and it will not sprout very well. Since the growth is held back by a certain inertia in
the life force, this is a time the body can recoup and preserve itself well. Recognizing
this, it is still maintained that there are never any marriages in Tamil Nadu during
Margazhi. This is not a time for conception. Even grihastas, or householders,
practice brahmacharya for this period.

This is also a good time particularly for those suffering from psychological
imbalances because the suns energy is pulling downward, and they can stabilize
themselves. In the yogic system, if there is a psychological imbalance, it is always
seen as water element going out of control. If you have a tank full of water and shake
it, it will slosh. The water element causes various levels of imbalance in a person if
the right kind of things are not done with it. Traditionally, in this month, there are
various practices to be in touch with water. Generally, people dont want to miss
the brahma muhurtam (3:40am, a conducive time for spiritual sadhana). One of the
simplest things people do is go into temple ponds at 3:40am to take a dip.
The Margazhi brings a natural sense of stability into the system. There are any number
of spiritual seekers who are constantly one step forward, one step backward. This is
happening to too many people because there is not enough sadhana towards
stabilizing themselves. If you are pulled upward and you are not stable within
yourself, it will lead to imbalances. This month is used for stability and the next
month, the Thai, is used for mobility. If you have created enough stability within you,
only then would you dare to be mobile. This is a time to create balance and stability.