It's Day 7 of the first week of the Sadhana Challenge. How have you done? How many days did you make it this week? What have you learned about yourself and your practice? How has being part of the Challenge affected your practice? 

I feel that this Challenge has been a huge gift, in many ways, and I am grateful for your participation and support! 

This morning I woke up late, taking advantage of my sometimes somewhat flexible work schedule. But I was reminded of why the early morning is such a wonderful time for sadhana. As the world wakes up, there are more and more distractions! Cars driving by on the busy street outside, my partner getting ready to leave the house, my own brain drawn to other thoughts about what will happen during the day. My brain was chattering more this morning than usual.

When doing any kind of meditative practice, it can be helpful to remove as many distractions as possible - so if you get up before the rest of the world (and the rest of your house) wakes up, it can be a fertile time for meditation, especially because you are freshly rested and have not yet engaged with the outside world. Morning practice creates a solid foundation with which to step out into the world, affirming your connection to the Divine, to that authentic Self, which is connected to all beings.

Regardless of what time you perform sadhana, the main thing is to make time and space for it. How has this looked for you in the past week? Email us at [email]blog@sharanya.org[/email] to share your story.
