Practical Tips for Svadhyaya (Self-study)
During the Meet&Greet session today, Sadhvi Ishani shared with us some practical tips for self-study, giving examples from her own experience. Other participants also contributed with their self study experience. Since we have a growing number of teachings, playlists, text studies to go back to, I thought I would try to summarize what has been discussed during our gathering. For me, hearing these practical ways of approaching the teachings were quite helpful and inspiring.
Have a dedicated day and time for self-study
Pick one text or a playlist at a time and spend time with it. Do not jump from one teaching to another.
Keep a google sheet to track your study. Enter the video links for easy access. Make note of where you have left off so you can pick up from there next time.
Have dedicated notebooks for each each series (bhakti, karma...) Keep journals for your contemplations.
Wake up earlier than usual on some days and engage in self-study.
For intellectually more rigorous texts, try to sit down, listen with more focus, and take notes. You can listen to other shorter teachings, like wisdom nuggets from Acharya Shunya as you take a walk or commute to work.
Don't be feverish about consuming more knowledge. Take it slowly and deepen your understanding.
Please share if you also have different methods to engage in svadhyaya. Learning from each other supports our journey.
Jai Maa, Jai Gurudev🙏
Jai Maa Sadhay Kavya,
Deeps thanks for this summary list of helpful organizational tips. I am going to immediately implement your suggestions, For indeed, there was an abundance of beautiful and important teachings, and I personally will benefit from a bit more focus and organization.
Jai Guru Dev, Sadhya Arya