How do I know if my spiritual practice is actually working or just placebo?

This is the question Patanjali spent his life answering, and it's more practical than mystical. He knew that transformation isn't faith—it's something you can observe in yourself the way a scientist observes results. Start noticing: Are you calmer under stress? More aware of your habitual reactions? Can you choose your response rather than just react? These aren't mystical signs. They're measurable shifts in how your mind works. Keep a simple log for two weeks. Not to convince anyone else, but to gather your own evidence. Patanjali believed the proof lives in your actual experience, not in theories or what anyone told you to believe. The scientific method here means: make a hypothesis ("If I practice daily, my focus improves"), run the experiment (actually practice), and observe without judgment. Placebo isn't the enemy—self-deception is. The difference is whether you're honest about what's actually changing. If nothing's shifting after consistent effort, adjust your approach. That's not failure. That's data. That's how mastery builds.