The tradition's word for sustained, structured practice — not casual repetition but a deliberate daily regimen. The classic balance covers four kinds of work: stroke production and tone, theka and laya discipline, repertoire maintenance, and new material.
The lore around marathon hours is real but secondary; teachers emphasize regularity and attention over duration. A common prescription is slow practice at painful honesty — every stroke audited for tone — since speed consolidates whatever quality is actually there.