From Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s writings, it can be concluded that one can progress much faster through works. It has also been a personal experience of many devotees who got engaged with Yoga Centers.
Such works are challenging since they bring out much in us that remains otherwise hidden. All the silent spots where ego and its cohorts reside are laid bare when we take up the path of works. Besides, it makes our nature supple and ready to receive the Divine in the dynamic parts of nature. Of course, here we specifically refer to work for the Mother, as centers are meant to be engaged in.
It is in fact the fastest means for progress, though it is best if we give service as Seva, disinterested works, rather than with the idea of personal progress. The wish for personal progress itself becomes a hindrance since it brings in the ego elements and the sense of a personal gain in lieu of the work one is doing. Works are a means of self-giving to the Divine and must be an act of joy and love and surrender without bothering about what one may get or not get.
However one has to see whether one has the real calling for it. It needs time and a degree of commitment that is not easy for human nature. Yet if one can undertake it, it can be one of the royal entries into the path of Integral Yoga.
About Savitri | B1C1-10 The Response of Earth (p.5)