Hari Om.
Swami Sivananda says a spiritual diary is an absolute essential for any aspirant who is serious about the spiritual path. He says this shows how our precious time is spent during the day, and acts as a silent Guru. He says a person who keeps a diary will soon discover his or her faults and can correct these and make rapid progress. See the links for for more details.
Importance of spiritual diary
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=542
Sivananda spiritual diary (I have a modified version of this to suit my needs)
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=566
I have been keeping a diary of how many malas of japa I do per day since November 2011. It has been very useful in showing me trends of when I did more and when I did less. I have also used it to keep an exact count of mantras for the purascharana as advised by Sivananda.
I have also been keeping a record of some other spiritual activities since December 2014. This includes the following: asana, pranayama, mauna, karma yoga, kirtan, svadhyaya, self-analysis and my sleep times (wake and bed times). This has shown me that while I am regular in japa (do it daily without a break thanks to the Divine Mother's grace I feel), I have lazy when it comes to asanas (do this once in two weeks- way too little). Pranayama is slightly better - around four times a week- but not ideal.
In the past couple of weeks, I have resolved to do daily pranayama (5-7 rounds anuloma-viloma initially, will try to build up to 20 rounds a day as per Gurudev Sivananda's 20 instruction) and daily asanas (at least five rounds surya namaskar, with 2-3 forward and backward bending asanas). I have found that my body feels much lighter and better after even a short asana session of 15 minutes.
I am also keeping up the weekly mauna- feel it helps me to talk less even at other times. It is very pleasant actually not having to talk for a while.
My husband and I returned home ten days ago after four months in India. We visited the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala as well as in Rishikesh. Both ashram stays were wonderful- but Rishikesh has something special. It is easy to think of God there as the whole place is full of ashrams and has a spiritual vibe (despite the fact that it has become quite a busy place with lots of visitors and shops). We enjoyed our tour of the famour Tamil Nadu temples (Kanchi/Mahabalipuram, Sri Rangam, Tiruvannamalai, Rameswaram, Madurai), and also of some temples in Kerala (Guruvayur).
On the whole, it was a special time. Although India is an incredibly noisy country, the spiritual vibes there are still strong and one feels recharged by going to places of pilgrimage. My husband has been inspired by the visit to take up spiritual life more seriously- he intends to meditate daily and is following a largely vegetarian diet. I am happy that he is more interested in spritual life. We are both applying for jobs now and are trying to keep up the spiritual practices in the midst of the hustle and bustle of city life. I feel the spiritual diary will be very important to ensure this.
Sivananda emphasises the importance of a proper daily spiritual routine which can vary if needed (but there must be some plan for the day if possible). See below for his suggestions on a spiritual routine for people in various walks of life:
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=archives-search&search_string=routine
He praises Benjamin Franklin, the famous American President, for his active cultivation of virtues and his daily diary and self-analysis. He says his students should do the same. Make a list of virtues and try to actively cultivate these. Write down how one is progressing. I have made a list of about 30 virtues to cultivate gradually. Will rotate every 3-4 days. Am keeping a cultivation of virtues journal exclusively for this purpose i.e to cultivate virtues and eradicate bad qualities. It's hard work but the Gurus say this is an indispensible pre-requisite for progress on the spiritual path. No progress in meditation or spiritual life is possible without a solid ethical character.
The japa helps in eradication of vices and development of virtue as per our sages. The Name of God is the ultimate embodiment of purity and auspiciousness, and strengthens good noble samskaras, and destroys the negative samskaras. So while it is an uphill task, while the Name of God exists (and it will always exist), success is assured and there is nothing to fear. :)
20 spiritual instructions of Swami Sivananda (the core of his teachings leading to liberation. The basis for the spiritual diary.
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/20instr.htm
Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya.
Swami Sivananda says a spiritual diary is an absolute essential for any aspirant who is serious about the spiritual path. He says this shows how our precious time is spent during the day, and acts as a silent Guru. He says a person who keeps a diary will soon discover his or her faults and can correct these and make rapid progress. See the links for for more details.
Importance of spiritual diary
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=542
Sivananda spiritual diary (I have a modified version of this to suit my needs)
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=566
I have been keeping a diary of how many malas of japa I do per day since November 2011. It has been very useful in showing me trends of when I did more and when I did less. I have also used it to keep an exact count of mantras for the purascharana as advised by Sivananda.
I have also been keeping a record of some other spiritual activities since December 2014. This includes the following: asana, pranayama, mauna, karma yoga, kirtan, svadhyaya, self-analysis and my sleep times (wake and bed times). This has shown me that while I am regular in japa (do it daily without a break thanks to the Divine Mother's grace I feel), I have lazy when it comes to asanas (do this once in two weeks- way too little). Pranayama is slightly better - around four times a week- but not ideal.
In the past couple of weeks, I have resolved to do daily pranayama (5-7 rounds anuloma-viloma initially, will try to build up to 20 rounds a day as per Gurudev Sivananda's 20 instruction) and daily asanas (at least five rounds surya namaskar, with 2-3 forward and backward bending asanas). I have found that my body feels much lighter and better after even a short asana session of 15 minutes.
I am also keeping up the weekly mauna- feel it helps me to talk less even at other times. It is very pleasant actually not having to talk for a while.
My husband and I returned home ten days ago after four months in India. We visited the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala as well as in Rishikesh. Both ashram stays were wonderful- but Rishikesh has something special. It is easy to think of God there as the whole place is full of ashrams and has a spiritual vibe (despite the fact that it has become quite a busy place with lots of visitors and shops). We enjoyed our tour of the famour Tamil Nadu temples (Kanchi/Mahabalipuram, Sri Rangam, Tiruvannamalai, Rameswaram, Madurai), and also of some temples in Kerala (Guruvayur).
On the whole, it was a special time. Although India is an incredibly noisy country, the spiritual vibes there are still strong and one feels recharged by going to places of pilgrimage. My husband has been inspired by the visit to take up spiritual life more seriously- he intends to meditate daily and is following a largely vegetarian diet. I am happy that he is more interested in spritual life. We are both applying for jobs now and are trying to keep up the spiritual practices in the midst of the hustle and bustle of city life. I feel the spiritual diary will be very important to ensure this.
Sivananda emphasises the importance of a proper daily spiritual routine which can vary if needed (but there must be some plan for the day if possible). See below for his suggestions on a spiritual routine for people in various walks of life:
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=archives-search&search_string=routine
He praises Benjamin Franklin, the famous American President, for his active cultivation of virtues and his daily diary and self-analysis. He says his students should do the same. Make a list of virtues and try to actively cultivate these. Write down how one is progressing. I have made a list of about 30 virtues to cultivate gradually. Will rotate every 3-4 days. Am keeping a cultivation of virtues journal exclusively for this purpose i.e to cultivate virtues and eradicate bad qualities. It's hard work but the Gurus say this is an indispensible pre-requisite for progress on the spiritual path. No progress in meditation or spiritual life is possible without a solid ethical character.
The japa helps in eradication of vices and development of virtue as per our sages. The Name of God is the ultimate embodiment of purity and auspiciousness, and strengthens good noble samskaras, and destroys the negative samskaras. So while it is an uphill task, while the Name of God exists (and it will always exist), success is assured and there is nothing to fear. :)
20 spiritual instructions of Swami Sivananda (the core of his teachings leading to liberation. The basis for the spiritual diary.
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/20instr.htm
Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya.
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