6 a.m. seemed to arrive so quickly, the sky still dark, streets still quiet. Bed was so very cozy! The alarm went off, and I hit the snooze button. But then our mantra started reverberating through my body. I could hear the voices of my Sisters and Brothers in community, and knew that I had to get up and begin this Sadhana Challenge. I'm telling you, it's only through their support that I have been able to begin this at all!

Groggily, I turned off the alarm, sat up, and started silently repeating the mantra in my head as I put on my yoga gear and headed out to my simple altar. Maa was staring at me, her beautiful, shiny black eyes glowing in candlelight. A prayer to Ganesha to remove ostacles like grogginess and stubbornness. Then, invocations to fierce and loving Goddesses Tara and Kamakhya, to my Sisters and Brothers at SHARANYA, then practice of different levels of <i>nyasa</i> (the purification practice that places divine sound vibrations into the physical body), and finally surrendering into the love of the Divine Mother with my <i>guru mantra</i> (your secret mantra received at initiation). I closed with the peace mantra flowing from my lips, connecting me with my community.

[url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FShiva-Rea-Shakti-Jean-Michel-Jarre%2Fdp%2FB0001611DS%2Fsr%3D8-1%2Fqid%3D1172764648%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Ddvd&tag=sharanya&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target=new]<img src=http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0001611DS.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg width=240 height=240 align=right border=0>[/url]Then, the vinyasa practice. I love this [url="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FShiva-Rea-Shakti-Jean-Michel-Jarre%2Fdp%2FB0001611DS%2Fsr%3D8-1%2Fqid%3D1172764648%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Ddvd&tag=sharanya&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325" target=new]Yoga Shakti DVD[/url]<img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sharanya&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> by Shiva Rea! The pre-set workouts are great, but what really does it for me is what they call the "yoga matrix" - so you can create your own customized practice that changes daily (or stays the same - it's up to you, really). Sun salutations, supine poses and shavasana were about all I could handle this morning. I felt the stiffness in my body and the slow and subtle opening of my ribcage, and knew this was a good practice to begin again.

The thing is, it's not about me or my practice at all, and repeating the peace mantra throughout the sadhana reminded me deeply of that. While I feel really good about starting this morning, it's also meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What is one day? It humbles and inspires me to think of great yogis/yoginis (some of whom are in our community) who do this every single day, no matter what. A good thought to keep the ego in check! While I use my daily commute for joyful japa, it's not like making separate time for practice. So, I humbly ask Maa for the strength to continue daily. And, I am filled with gratitude for my community.

I hope to post stories of others doing the Challenge, and as time goes on we'll let you know about our progress, too. And if you're doing the Challenge yourself, post in the comments about your own experiences!

Namaste!