Change your Practice, Change your Life

Many people are afraid of change however as yogis I believe most of us are looking for change, some perceived sort of change for the “better”. So how do we effect this change? We practice asana, maybe been to a kirtan or two, maybe even actually picked up one of yoga’s sacred texts, but how does this actually change my life for the “better”.

There is a magic time period in yoga that will change your life forever. 40 Days. That’s right, “Just 40 days or double your Karma back”. If you practice yoga consistently every day for 40 days, you will create the opportunity to implement any change you want in your habits, your relationships, and even the way you see yourself. Yogis have known this for thousands of years; psychologists have “proven” it in the last century, any behavioral change, according to psychologists, requires approximately six weeks (40 days) to shift. This includes breaking a bad habit (like addictions) or starting a good habit (like practicing yoga). This six-week period allows the body and mind to go through all of its biorhythms and cycles to initiate the possibility for a permanent change.

Many religious and spiritual traditions also follow cycles of 40; there are many references to 40 in scriptures of the world’s religions. The 40 days that the Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree before becoming enlightened, 40 days and nights of rain to cleanse the earth (Genesis 7:4,17), Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai receiving God's law (Exodus 24:18; 34:18), and there was the trip of 40 days to the same area by the prophet Elijah (I Kings 19:8). Nineveh was granted 40 days to repent (Jonah 3:4). We even have 40 days becoming 40 years in the judgment upon the rebellious Israelites for not entering the Promised Land when they were told (Numbers 14:34). Later, the Philistine servitude lasted 40 years (Judges 13:1), and the punishment on Egypt was prophesied to last 40 years (Ezekiel 29:11). 40 days of Lent, this is symbolic of the 40 days of fasting and prayers by Jesus while being tempted in the Judean wilderness (Matthew 4:1-4). The time between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension was 40 days (Acts 1:3). When Jesus gave the Olivet Prophecy in A.D.30 about the destruction of Jerusalem, he said it would occur in "that generation." The catastrophe happened precisely 40 years later, in A.D.70, 40 days of purpose of Adam in Islam (Tabari 1:261), whenever God has prepared someone for his purpose it took 40 days.

Throughout the centuries when yogis began a meditation practice, they would practice it for 40 continuous days in order to receive its full benefits. A yoga posture or sequence was only fully understood after experiencing it for 40 days. By the way, note that it is for 40 consecutive days - miss a day and the cycle has to start over again.

In our Yoga Teacher Training Program, one of the requirements is that each participant practices an early morning sadhna (committed spiritual practice) of meditation, chant, and/or asana set for 40 days. Students often comment that aside from the difficulty of getting up “early” to practice, the sadhna has been the most life changing aspect of the training.

You can apply this yogic technology in your own life in several ways by committing to a new habit or practice for 40 consecutive days. Even if you cannot make it to a yoga class every day for 40 days, you can practice yoga for a few minutes at home each day on the times in between. Challenge yourself to a practice for 40 days. You will be absolutely amazed at the change you can create. If it is good enough for God, it's good enough for me.

A great mantra to practice could OM NAMAH SHIVAYA