VII
साधनाsādhanā · daily practice
The sacred and the yogi's life
Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026
In short
In India yoga is part of a sacred life: a daily practice (sādhanā), an ethic (the yamas and niyamas of the Yoga Sutras), a relationship with a teacher in a lineage, rituals such as the Ganga aarti, and festivals like Guru Purnima. Yogide presents them as they are lived, without folklore.
Patañjali places ethics at the start of the path: the first two limbs of yoga are the yamas and niyamas (Yoga Sutra 2.29 to 2.32), before any posture. Around Rishikesh, practice is woven into the day: the morning bath in the Ganga, the evening aarti, the silence of the ashrams.
In this chapter
सत्सङ्गSatsaṅg and kīrtan, singing and sitting togethersatsaṅga · company of the goodThe company of the good and the singing of the divine names: their sources, an ashram evening, and a simple kirtan to begin at home.सेवाSevā, selfless servicesevā · service, devotionService as practice: the Gita's verses, the ashram day, the langar of the gurdwaras, and a simple way to serve without seeking a return.स्वाध्यायSvādhyāya, study of the texts and of oneselfsvādhyāya · one's own recitation, studyThe fourth niyama from the sources: recitation, study of the texts on liberation, and the modern reading of self-study, with a daily practice.यम नियमYamas and niyamas, the ethics of yogayama · niyamaThe ten restraints and observances of the Yoga Sutras, and how to live them day to day.
Sources
- Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026
- The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Charles Johnston (1912), Project Gutenberg checked October 16, 2026