Isvara Pranidhana—Learning How to Surrender
Isvara Pranidhana is the July theme of the month.
Surrender all effort… Surrender into the sensation… Surrender completely.Yoga and meditation teachers frequently use these phrases.
But what exactly does it mean and feel like to surrender in yoga or meditation practice?
Meaning of Isvara Pranidhana
For many years the words written below, adapted from the Bible, were painted on one of my studio’s walls.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.
Those words speak of the way to reach the state of yoga that is described by Patanjali, in Sutra 1.23. Īśvara Pranidhānād Vā (Surrender to a higher power). It is said that this is a crucial step on the path to samadhi, which is the ultimate goal of yoga.
It is also the fifth of the Niyamas or personal observances, meaning that surrender is to be practiced. In addition, it is one of the three components of Kriya Yoga, or the yoga in action.
This combination of Tapas (discipline), Svadyaya (self-study), and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to the greater intelligence of the universe) is the formula of doing yoga. This yoga of action entails taking yoga off the mat and into your daily life.
Therefore, it’s vital that you practice surrender and devotion on a daily basis. It is the way to become wiser and attain the state of yoga.
For us Westerners, the idea of surrender often feels like a last resort or a begging prayer; but for Patanjali, it is an ongoing practice.
Surrender as a practice
As a practice, surrender does not have to mean the worship of a god or separate supreme being. It can simply be to surrender to the inner teacher, within oneself.
In yoga, this personal relationship with the divine is referred to as your Ishta-Devata. This can be however you relate to the divine, be it Jesus or Allah, universal intelligence, or your inner teacher.
When you can surrender the ego identity with “I” and your individual concerns to your higher Self or higher power, you begin to transcend a feeling of separation from others. This is a powerful way to get out of your own narrative.
Through intimate listening to this voice within you, you will have a deeper relationship with your own inner guidance in all aspects of your life. The yogic concept of Ishta-Devata is a powerful means of attaining a state of yoga.
The idea of letting go is not easy but is ultimately rewarding.
Letting Go
Patanjali gives surrender as the simplest and most direct method to attain yoga, yet it is not necessarily an easy practice or an attractive one at that. Sutra 2.46 states Samādhisiddhirīśvarapraṇidhānāt, (From submission to God comes the perfection of samadhi).
The attitude of letting go and not controlling all that happens in your life is not easy. You might be used to the ego calling the shots and giving you the idea that you are somehow in control of the universe.
Ever heard of the saying, “Man makes a plan, and God Laughs?” When life becomes messy, there is no way out but to surrender. Reality will always win.
You might not let go of control, but you can learn to let go of the belief that you have control.
This takes the self-discipline of tapas, the self-study of svadyaya, and finally the faith and trust to practice isvara pranidhana. It becomes harder to cling to the ego than to surrender.
When you surrender to the flow of life, you bring the energy of YES, to the present moment. When you do this, you accept the flow of life, or what Zorba the Greek referred to as the “full catastrophe” of it.
Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life.” – Eckhart Tolle
Practicing Isvara Pranidhana On the mat
The yoga mat or meditation cushion is a great space to practice surrender. Remember those phrases: Surrender all effort, surrender into the sensation, and surrender completely.
In a yoga class, you must surrender to the choice of postures and the cues of the teacher. You must surrender to the breath count of the teacher.
As you practice challenging yoga poses, they become microcosms of life’s difficulties. How you relate to working on a posture, or falling out of balance, or even staying in a posture is most likely how you relate to similar difficulties in life.
Do you get mad at yourself or the posture? Or the teacher for giving you the posture? Do you use the ego to try to force your way into the posture? Is there tension or gripping in the pose?
These are all opportunities to surrender to the way things are that particular day. You learn to not try to make something happen according to your time plan. You let go.
Even in meditation, you cannot will peace of mind. What if you are restless, bored, or sleepy? You must learn to let go into the experience and observe without judgment. You learn to be with whatever experience you are having in that moment without trying to control it. This is surrender.
More importantly, the way in which you begin your practice and do your practice can be devotional. Perhaps it is a setting of intention, chanting, visualization, or mentally offering up the benefits of your practice. Maybe it involves lighting a candle or burning incense.
Even the practice of Surya Namaskar (Sun salutation) is a method of Isvara Pranidhana. It was meant to be a moving prayer, offering gratitude and love for the life-giving energy that the sun provides. As you sit for meditation, you may begin with gratitude or asking for forgiveness. These are all heartfulness practices and are acts of devotion.
Practicing Devotion in your day
When I was in India, I found that acts of devotion were everywhere. The family that owned the apartment that I rented had bought a new car. They asked me to join them in puja, or prayer ritual, as they gave thanks for their new car.
Such common rituals embody the practice of surrender, and create a shift in perspective, a sense of gratitude, and connection to the gifts of the universe. Perhaps you can develop your own sense of devotion on a daily basis.
Perhaps this is in the form of prayer or gratitude practice. Maybe you enjoy writing in a journal, connecting with your breath, or sitting in meditation. There are many ways to open up your heart and believe that life is unfolding exactly as it is supposed to. It is a constant letting go of any attachment to the fruits of your actions. You must only act for the greater good.
Tips to practice Isvara Pranidhana:
1.) Say “Yes” to Life.
In the midst of life’s ups and downs, when you say yes to it all, you open up to the here and now without protest or blame…“May I accept things just as they are.”
2.) Relinquish the results of your actions.
As the Bhagavad Gita states, “Let your concern (or focus) be on your action, let it not be on the outcome of the action. Do not act only out of expectation of a result, but then do not slip into inactivity.” Surrender any expectation.
3.) Small acts of devotion.
Wash your hands or feet before practice. Light a candle. Give thanks. Set an intention.
4.) Create your own ritual.
Perhaps it’s before a meal or before sleep or even when you fold the laundry. It can be before or after yoga practice. Anything that connects you to something beyond your small sense of “I.”
5.) Imagine surrendering what doesn’t serve you.
Give away your fears and worries and welcome in a feeling of ease. Let life unfold as in its own time
6.) Chanting OM.
This is the universal sound and the sound of Isvara. When you chant the sound penetrates your mind and body and you can feel moments of complete absorption or oneness.
Surrender takes Courage.
In the end, it is not weak to surrender. It takes courage, strength, and faith to let go. To say yes to letting things unfold as they will takes humble surrender. The idea of Isvara Pranidhana, is devotion to something bigger than yourself. When you can surrender, become still, and turn inward, you can attain the state of yoga---union of individual consciousness with universal consciousness.
If you want help practicing Ishvara Pranidhana, I’ll be glad to help you. Feel free to email me: sharyn@truenorthwell.com.
Have a good practice.