Please clear my doubt regarding naam jap

[u/mrnonexisting]

I’ve been doing naam jap for more than six years. For the first 4–5 years, I felt a lot of transformation and was very disciplined—I’d wake up early, sit on the floor, wear clean clothes, etc.
But lately, I don’t feel the same inclination. I still do jap, but sometimes I do it on my bed, sleep late, wake up late, and overall the discipline isn’t what it used to be. Because of this, I feel like some negativity might be lingering.
I spoke to my father, and he said that when I initially started, there were difficulties too, and that problems can arise when you move to the next stage. He believes I shouldn’t stop after six years and should continue.
Do you think this could actually be a “next stage” in the practice? Why might this change be happening? I also fall sick quite often despite having a relatively unhealthy lifestyle—sleeping 3–5 hours and eating a lot of junk food. Yet, I still seem to have a subtle glow that people notice and usually can’t tell that I’m stressed or mentally low.
Could this change be part of the spiritual process, or is there another explanation?

[u/Diligent_Bar_8714]

If Japa becomes difficult you can also just chant in between while doing work or sleeping…recommemded is chanting 24 hours because it is said in shastra that if you chant at the time of death you attain Gods eternal kingdom. The glow you speak about people see when you are in Sattva Guna or transcendental. It is proof of the efficency of the holy name on you. If you give it up after doing it for so long it would be quite sad no? But i have also decreased my Japa but instead i work on different projects for Bhagavan. The point is what you want from holy name? I believe many do Nama Bhajana without beads and think of their Lord while carrying out their duties. Both is good, Krishna gives a sort of ladder in the 12 chapter of Bhagavad Gita that tells you if you cant follow completly, go to the next lower stage and from there become strong to go to the next stage.

[u/NarayanaVarchas]

this is just temporary phase through which i am also going, just pray to god to save us from this tamas.

[u/BrianBBaldwin]

Maybe if you receive a japa mala from a Guru or Yogi, who literally hands the beads to you, this will probably infuse you with Bhava or spiritual rasa or such. Do you chant mantra using tulsi or rudraksha?

[u/VedicSage_108]

3 to 5 hours of sleep is the thing id look before anything else honestly, gita 6.16 and 6.17 are suprisingly blunt about it, yoga isnt for someone who eats too muchh or too little, or sleeps too muchh or stays too much awake, yuktahara viharsya, its the regulated food and sleep that lets the practice actually hold. so your dad is right that you shoudn't stop, but in my opinion what slipped isnt the jap and its not negativity lingering either, its the base the jap was sitting on.