If you follow the Devipuram classes then it's about 2 hours a day. All kinds of people are doing all kinds of practices in the name of Sri Vidya. Who knows what they are doing?! But devotion is not charted by how many minutes one puts into the practice. More important is to know yourself, and know why you are practicing, and know what routine you need to feel right. It doesn't have to be hours of practice every day.
One doesn't have to do endless pujas. Devipuram, and Swami Amritananda's teachings are not about bench pressing the max weight spiritually and bragging about it. Rather, there are many very useful practices that are worth trying out and studying. Any of the practices might be just the thing you were looking for.
So finish what you are doing. Then if you are not satisfied, then do the Devipuram classes, which are free. Devote a couple years to learning them. Then you can say you know something about Sri Vidya.
I pay attention to online Sri Vidya teachers and more often than not what you have are teachers giving out incredibly complex and baffling mantra devotions, and they do so without any path or sense of direction. Most people teaching Sri Vidya did not come from a path. Devipuram is teaching from Parasurama's Kalpa Sutras. With the special techniques and understanding of Swami Amritananda.
The practices are satisfying. The mantra work, and the devotion are satisfying.
The truth is one should be a devotee of Shree Mahakamakali - that is, Mahakali as Lalita Devi.
One should not look at their practice as an Olympic sport. One should look at their practice as something to bring their heart to center, and give them strength to go on being a good, compassionate person, who is satisfied with what they have. One should learn to appreciate what is around them, and how fortunate they are, especially to have the teachings they have found.
I have a bad back, and can't sit long. I have learned to meditate while walking on a treadmill. Making the connection with The Goddess is good enough. I do not need to talk to others about how much or how little practice I do.
Do not get into that type of thinking. You need to know yourself, and you need to know what you need to practice to enjoy life and carry on with integrity.
It's not about how much time, how many practices, how many mantras, or whether you are Hadi, kadi, or Sadi. None of these little things matter. The big picture is feeling the connection with the Goddess, and having the jnana of self knowledge. The turiya.
Beginning classes take one about 1.5-2 hours a day. One is supposed to practice in 44 day 'mandalas.' Beginners have 4 mandalas which take about 2 hours a day. After that things become more intensive. So expect it to get more involved. But whether you devote every minute to practice or stay moderate and both live and practice is up to you.
Nobody said you had to go off to the jungle and come back with the name swami. You can practice an hour a day, and if you practice every day it will add up to more later than just intensively practicing for a month here or there.
I am asking everybody I meet, why are you practicing Sri Vidya from two different lineages and teachers? What's wrong with your lineage that you are looking for another? If it's not working already, then why are you going to practice another 2.5 years before doing practice that make a real difference.
I am jealous of Devipuram students. I came to it late, after numerous physical problems, and yet, I still feel like I got something great from Devipuram. That is, a sense of the whole picture.
Get that big picture from your teacher before you commit. What is their basic teaching, and where does it come from? I told you about Parasuram's Kalpa Sutra. Now you know where our teachings come from. Beginning classes take about 2 hours a day.
After that it's about how much you wish to put into it, but it gets more and more involved.
Jai Shree Matrey
