Part 10: Isvara pranidhana
Isvara pranidhana or surrender
Join me as I embark on 40 weeks of trying to live the yamas and niyamas off the mat. 4 weeks for each of the 10 ethical principles.
Today we explore the 5th and final niyama called isvara pranidhana or surrender. How well do you know yourself? What boxes (thoughts, ideas, projections, etc) have you wrapped yourself in? There is definitely more to this niyama than just letting go.
But first, what are the niyamas? Also known as ethical "observances", there are 5 in total, and form the second of the 8 limbs of yoga. Yes, there is much more to yoga than just the physical poses!
Here's what I discovered (& I encourage you to do some of your own self-exploration):
Surrender invites us to be active participants in our life, it is definitely not a passive act. When we are totally present with each moment, and appreciating the mystery and magnitude of what we are participating in, then we are surrendering.
Isvara pranidhana is akin to being “in the flow state”, or “in the zone”. For me, things like practicing yoga, being in nature or sharing knowledge in a conversation are all ways in which I get totally absorbed into what I’m doing and lose any sense of time. The same cannot be said for my day job. I’d really encourage you to try identify the things that get you into a flow state, and those that don’t.
Life wants us to grow in ways that we can’t even imagine. It wants to delight us. So if we learn to trust in life’s hidden purpose, it will always surpass our expectations. This form of surrendering by trusting can be so scary - I have tended to always err on the side of caution, not taking big steps unless the risks were well calculated. I suspect that my not fulling trusting and surrendering to life’s purpose, plays a big role in why I currently feel a bit stuck and frustrated in life.
One can often physically feel the rigidity in the physical body, often as a result of needing to control. Control makes us rigid and narrows our perspective, so if one learns to stop fighting life, one can act more skillfully.
This really helped me: monitoring my ‘state of surrender’ by sensing contration and expantion sensations in my body. If you are engaging in something, and sense a feeling of openness and spaciousness, its probabaly a good sign that you’re in some form of flow state and are surrendering. Doing this little monitoring exercise made me realise how certain activities I was engaging in made me feel tense and rigid…time to make a few life changes!
Funnily, if we demand a moment to do as we want it to, if we want to direct each moment, and need life to be a certain way, then this control actually invites in rigidity and tightness. We need to surrender and trust in life. Still learning to trustingly jump into the flow of life and let myself drift. This is not a passive practice - it requires giving myself to a higher purpose.
Life knows better than we do, our task is simply to let go.
Top tip: Savasana is a great pose for practicing surrender.
What I will do more of: Surrender my ego, open my heart, accept and trust in the higher purpose of my being.
Takeaway:
You can practice isvara pranidhana with me on the mat in a free Youtube class, during which I share with you journal prompts and ways that you can practice this yogic observance of surrender in your own daily life.
I am SO excited to share with you this 10 part series where we explore the yamas and niyamas in more detail during restorative, yin style classes. See you over in class on Youtube (@Tati von Yoga).
P.S. Here are some suggested JOURNAL PROMPTS from Deborah Adele's book ‘The Yamas and Niyamas’:
* Watch your attitude and responses to the moment. Are you fearful, trusting, fighting, judging, or annoyed? Notice if there is a pattern to your attitude.
* Notice any tension that arises in your body when you need the moment to be your way. Conciously choose to relax your body and shift your attitude to curiousity. Notice what happens.
* Practice welcoming each moment and throwing yourself into the opportunity of what is being offered and asked of you. When you find yourself shrinking away, trust that life is giving you a chance to step into a fuller, more skillful you.
* Wake up every morning and let God in. Believe in something that is greater than you are, and let your actions, mind, and heart, line up with that greatness. Surrender through practice and grace.
Lots of love & kindness,
Tati
xx
