On the back of my door is a translation of a poem by the great Tulsidas, translated by Ghandhi. I read it every day before I go out the door and into the world. It reminds me that my practice is more than the 2 plus hours I spend meditating, chanting, and doing Hatha yoga in the morning. Sadhana is something I should be doing 24 hours a day.
Our practice needs to carry into the rest of lives, and into the way we interact with the people around us. I have not been perfect in this practice, and have sometimes outright failed in my conduct, but I know every new day is another opportunity to try again. Every day is another chance to really live and embody the principles of Yoga!
Grant me, O Master, by thy grace
To follow all the good and pure
to be content with simple things;
To use my fellows not as a means but ends
To serve them stalwartly, in thought, word, deed;
Never to utter word of hatred or of shame;
To cast away all selfishness and pride
To speak no ill of others;
To have a mind at peace,
Set free from care, and led astray from thee
Neither by happiness nor woe;
Set thou my feet upon this path,
And keep me steadfast in it,
Thus only shall I please thee, serve thee right.
M.K. Gandhi: Songs from Prison
