Lesson 8: Strengthen Your Spiritual Focus (Sadhana)
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Niyamas (Observances): Five Practices for Spiritual Awakening
- Cleanliness or Purity (shauca)
- Contentment (santosha)
- Self-discipline (tapas)
- Self-study (svadhyaya)
- Self-surrender (Ishvara pranidhana)
Purpose: discipline the body, purify the mind, open the heart, realize the Self — constructive actions, enhance inward flow, strengthens spiritual awareness
Practices of the Five Observances
- Shauca (Cleanliness): cultivate an uplifting environment outwardly & inwardly
- Santosha (Contentment): discern what brings happiness; abide in the soul’s fulness
- Tapas (Self-discipline): act in harmony with the highest good
- Svadhyaya (Self-study): contemplate; inquire, meditate, study
- Ishvara Pranidhana (Self-surrender): let go of the sense of being separate; develop devotion; open to divine grace
Promises of Fulfillment of the Five Observances
- Cleanliness: good health, serenity
- Contentment: supreme, unshakable happiness
- Self-discipline: balance, perfection of body, mind & senses
- Self-study: direct perception of Truth, Absolute Reality
- Self-surrender: Self- and God-Realization
Kriya Yoga’s Five Keys for Spiritually Awakened Living
- Be Clear
- Be Content
- Be Disciplined
- Be Curious
- Be Whole
Everything in the future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.
—Sri Yukteswar
For additional information, refer to:
Living the Eternal Way, p 135-152
