Time on the Mat – Our 40-Day Practice

By Anais on September 7, 2014 • ( 0 )

A friend once said to me “There is no substitute for time on the mat.” I know it’s true. She meant there are no shortcuts.

On August 12, Judy and I decided on and began our first 40-day practice together – A Short & Sweet Kriya to Get the Energy Moving. A Google search of the title nets a whole lot of hits. That’s good. It is a short (about 22 minutes) kriya – it grows on you, becomes a good friend, and a steady comfort.

This early morning was our 25th day. As you might know from reading my last post, we’re moving. Moving can be physically demanding and emotionally challenging. I can attest, it is! It doesn’t have to be, and I don’t want to necessarily add to the field that says it is. Just saying – my experience. Every morning (or evening) doing the Short & Sweet Kriya, I get the help I need to maintain in the face of unusual challenges.

This is not my first 40-day practice – it was in 2004 just after I was introduced to Kundalini Yoga. Since then I’ve done several of various duration and types. Making 40-day commitments satisfies my ‘want’ to be doing something of a spiritual nature. It’s become part of my life’s meditation. I’ve also participated in some Spirit Voyage Global Sadhanas (see link below) which is a great experience, and helpful if you’ve never done one. You get to join with a global community of people focused for the duration on the same thing. And you can sign up for daily e-mail posts from them to inspire you forward.

Kundalini Yoga is a habit maker and modifier. Here is the progression of habit changes with lengths of practice:

40 Days: Practice every day for 40 days straight. This will break any negative habits that block you from the expansion possible through the kriya or mantra.

90 Days: Practice every day for 90 days straight. This will establish a new habit in your conscious and subconscious minds based on the effect of the kriya or mantra. It will change you in a very deep way.

120 Days: Practice every day for 120 days straight. This will confirm the new habit of consciousness created by the kriya or mantra. The positive benefits of the kriya get integrated permanently into your psyche.

1000 Days: Practice every day for 1000 days straight. This will allow you to master the new habit of consciousness that the kriya or mantra has promised. No matter what the challenge, you can call on this new habit to serve you.

This is Judy’s first 40-day. She’s doing well and tells me the things she feels from the undertaking. I’m proud of her, and happy to have a partner both amenable and supportive of this sort of life.

Here is a downloadable PDF of the Short & Sweet Kriya…

Articles on practice (Sadhana):

“One part of sadhana should stay constant long enough for you to master, or at least experience, the changes evoked by a single technique. Each kriya and mantra has its individual effects, although they all elevate you toward a cosmic consciousness. Learn to value the pricelessness of one kriya, and all others will be understood in a clearer light.”
~ Yogi Bhajan, from The Aquarian Teacher, Level 1 Instructor, Page 150.