This week we are looking at the niyama (moral code) Ishvara Pranidhana which is surrender to a higher power. How we want to think of this power is up to us and the practise of surrender is to offer our actions to that higher force. This can be God, the universe or in service to others.
When we have faith and surrender our actions, we remove the stress of being in control of the outcomes. We simply do our best and let the universe take care of the rest. Our ego, fears and emotions need not be involved. We can have peace knowing that we are doing the best we can.
In our asana we can surrender to rest and not be led by our ego to do more than we are able. In a similar way, we can surrender to the discomfort in our asana as we hold longer and become stronger. It is a balance between the two and allowing ourselves to be present in each moment to know what is best.
Sometimes we put a lot of effort into something and become over concerned with the outcome. So much so, that we lose sight of what we are doing right now. We need to remain present, do the best we can and allow ourselves to be fully engaged. Then all we need do is have faith and know everything will be ok.
Ishvara Pranidhana is surrendering our actions to the divine and trusting the universe. We can allow our actions to be less about what it can do for us and more about how we can help others – offering our work to something bigger.
When we approach these actions in our life in this way it can bring peace and joy to all that we do. 🙂
