Kundalini Yoga Glossary
Sadhana
A daily personal practice combining movement, breath and meditation, traditionally done before sunrise.
Meaning
What Sadhana Means
Sadhana is a Sanskrit term for a daily spiritual practice. It is a space to see clearly who you are and to make the decisions your life calls for, built through the discipline of showing up for it every day rather than through any single session.
In Kundalini Yoga, Sadhana is an individual morning practice that combines physical practice, pranayama and meditation. It is traditionally done alone or in a group, before the sun rises, during what are called the ambrosial hours, when quiet and stillness make it easier to reach a meditative state.
In Practice
How It’s Used
The traditional structure opens with the recitation of Japji Sahib (not mandatory), then the Adi Mantra and Mangala Charan Mantra to tune in, a warm up, a kriya, five to eight minutes of relaxation in Savasana, the Aquarian Age mantras, and a closing of three Sat Nams, sometimes preceded by the Long Time Sun song. The full sequence runs about two to two and a half hours, longer with Japji.
The sequence itself is left to the practitioner: which warm up, kriya and meditation to do is a choice made the night before, along with preparing the body and the space. If time is limited, the manual suggests shortening the warm up, kriya, relaxation or closing mantras rather than skipping Sadhana altogether, since what matters most is doing it, not for how long.
