A Little Discipline, A Lot of Life - Sadhana

A disciplined and dedicated practice

The Bhagavad Gita reminds us that the restless mind is not easily controlled. It is through abhyāsa—sadhana, consistent practice, that we learn to steady it.

Sadhana is often translated as a commitment and dedicated practice. for me, Sadhana is more than simply having a routine.

It is the commitment to return to something, it is not always about motivation, because Motivation comes and goes.
commitment is what keeps us showing up when motivation is not there.

Life needs structure. There is no debate about that. But within the structure, we leave a little space for the universe to surprise us. 😂

Structure shapes the way we think. When it becomes a habit, the body and nervous system begin to adjust to the rhythm of our daily life.

 I often wonder,

What if exercise was something we owed ourselves, just like sleeping, eating, and drinking?

Maybe It is easy for me to say this, because I have always loved moving and being active since I was young.

My mum could hardly get me home for lunch or to sit down and do my homework. I was always somewhere out there, doing whatever I could find to do, riding my BMX with the boys at kuta or  legian beach. Back then, the beach was still nice and quiet.

Or I would be out there flying a kite.

That should be enough to tell you how often my mum had to scream my name just to get me home. 😂

But there was nothing structured or disciplined about it. I was far from those two sacred words.

My adult life has been a roller coaster, almost like living in a time machine—jumping here and there, moving from one thing to another, with my mind scattered like tangled threads.

At some point in my life, I realised that people like me actually need structure. We need routine.

I started my travelling yoga journey, shala to shala, exploring one yoga practice after another. But none of them made me sit well, made me stay, or made me commit. Until Ashtanga came along.

And the practice unfolded so many versions of me.

Maybe it was always there. I just never had a reason to look for it.

The practice gave me structure, but it also gave me fun ..yeah, half wake bandha and  the leg behind my head at 6am  is FUN

It was not about being rigid or putting myself into a box. It gave me a framework to explore, to challenge myself, and to understand myself in ways I never knew before.

The movement was no longer random. It had structure, intention, and challenge. In a strange way, it brought me back to the little girl riding her BMX and chasing kites at the beach.

The difference is that now, the movement has a direction.

And somewhere along the way, I began to understand that the body keeps the score.

It remembers. It speaks.

The commitment between myself and the practice also became a relationship of its own.

From time to time, i understand how to navigate and maintain my body, not only as a tool, but as a sacred place for our soul, treat our body with respect.

And perhaps this is where Sadhana begins:
not with doing more, but with learning to show up for ourselves.

For me, morning practice has always had something special, there is something powerful about moving your body before the world gets loud.

I start very simply.

Setting an intention:

How do I want to feel today?

And then I continue with my practice, working, and the list goes on.

Over time, when this routine becomes a strong structure, I begin to notice that it is not only your practice that changes.

my energy changes.
my relationship with my body changes. And also with partner, co _working, friends,
because I show up different , my mind changes.

A sustainable practice and consistency matter more than intensity

We live in a society that wants results quickly. people practise three times a day, attend endless workshops, take more technique classes, and add more challenges, hoping that doing more will make the result come faster.

But the body does not work like that.

This is exactly where injury can begin.

Then comes disappointment. Then frustration.

People often want to see the outcome without wanting to experience the process.

Consistency is the key above all, and in the end, it is not only about physical results. The result can vary.

In yoga, we are not practising just to touch our toes, put our leg behind our head, or hold a three-minute handstand. We learn what we become along the way.

Practice shapes our life. It is how steady you are when things become difficult.

How flexible your mind becomes when your plans do not go in the direction you expected.

How grounded you remain when you are triggered.

That, too, is a result.

Practice is a relationship, not a race.

A good practice develops gradually. You learn to know your body.

You learn proper technique, You learn when to challenge yourself and when to step back.

The right teacher, the right environment, good technique, and patience all matter.

There is no shortcut around the process.

Life itself is about rhythm. Consistency matters more than intensity.

We breathe in rhythm, our hearts beat in rhythm, we sleep and wake in cycles.

Our bodies constantly move through rhythms of activity and recovery.

We are, in many ways, rhythmic beings.

And practice helps us back to that rhythm.

Rest is also part of Sadhana, discipline, and commitment
rest is equally important.

Recovery is not the opposite of practice.
Recovery is part of practice.
So recovery is not laziness.

Rest is part of the discipline

Sometimes the most disciplined thing you can do is stop.

Our body is our temple. Practice is the tool. The mind is the compass.

Sadhana is the relationship between all three.

The body gives us the ground.
The practice gives us the method.
The mind gives us direction.

“When you start losing your body, you losing your life”
I came across this sentence in a book I read, and it stayed with me. It speaks loudly to me.

Most importantly, it is about keeping the relationship alive. At home, in the shala, or while travelling, commitment and discipline remain.
Respect the limitations. And adapt
Take a few Sun Salutations. Then see how far your body wants to go that day.

The Ashtanga sequence gives us a template, a structure we can return to anytime, anywhere.
practise with others, teacher, excellent!
practising alone is also practice.
A small practice is still a practice.
Twenty minutes is still a practice.
One Sun Salutation is still a practice.
One conscious breath is still a practice.

Sadhana is not about performing the practice. It is about showing up.
Again. And again. And again.

That, for me, is Yoga Beyond Asana.

Canggu, September 9th 2026