Isvara Pranidhana: Surrender to a Higher Power

In the first aphorism of the second pada of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he explains the 3 “kriyas,” or actions required for one on the path of yoga. The first two of these, “tapas” (self-discipline) and “svadhyaya” (self-study), I discussed in previous posts. In this post, I will discuss the third and final action which is “isvara pranidhana” or surrender to something bigger than ourselves.

A big part of living an authentic spiritual life is learning to live in alignment with your highest values, but in order to do that, you first have to determine what those values are. What gives your life meaning? For many of us, this might be our felt connection to God, the universe, or a higher power of some sort. For some, it might simply be the feeling of being connected to the flow of life within us and around us. For others, this might be our feeling of serving a higher purpose.

On our hardest days, knowing that we are part of something bigger and feeling that our life has meaning can give us the faith to continue moving forward. Indicated in the word “pranidhana” is the idea of surrender, or a releasing of control. This is the recognition that no matter how good our intentions are and how hard we work, there will always be a lot of things that are completely out of our control. All that we can do in this life is to give our best, and then we must step back and let go and trust that whatever comes is for our highest good.

We can’t always see the bigger picture or know how the small inconveniences today might ultimately shape into something better for us in the long run, so there is an element of faith required in order to maintain a balanced state of mind (a state of yoga).

These three qualities of self-discipline, self-study, and surrender to something bigger than ourselves are described beautifully in the Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change” (isvara pranidhana), “the courage to change the things I can” (tapas), “and the wisdom to know the difference” (svadhyaya).

Svadhyaya: Self Study

In the first aphorism of the second pada of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he explains the 3 “kriyas,” or actions required for one on the spiritual path of yoga. The first of these is “tapas” (self-discipline) which I discussed in my last post. In this post, I will discuss the second action which is svadhyaya, or self study.

Patanjali tells us that it’s not enough to simply show up and work hard; we must also self-reflect. It is of no use to work hard if you are working hard in the wrong direction and not in alignment with your values. That is why svadhyaya is integral to the practice of yoga.

When we are doing physical practice on our mat, svadhyaya might look like paying attention to how the choices we make in terms of when to use props, when to rest, when to modify affect how we feel after the practice. If we feel energized and light, we are probably moving in the right direction. If our body feels overworked and drained, there might be things we need to shift in how we are approaching the practice.

In our daily lives off the mat, svadhyaya is considering where we are putting our time and energy and whether those activities are moving us towards our higher goals and purpose and if our actions are in alignment with our values.

Tapas: Self-discipline

In the first aphorism of the second pada of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he explains the 3 “kriyas,” or actions required for one on the spiritual path of yoga. The first of these is “tapas” which translates to something like self-discipline. This is the intensity, commitment, and passion that drives us to keep working steadily towards our goals. It is an important pillar because we can’t expect growth and transformation to come about if we don’t show up for our practice with consistency.

But what does it mean to “practice yoga”? Our practice can be different things on different days. You don’t necessarily need to roll out your yoga mat and commit to an hour of physical practice every day. It is great if you can, but certain times in our lives might require us to use our time in different ways. Some days your yoga practice might be 5 minutes of meditation in a hotel room. Other days your yoga practice might include reading spiritual texts that cause you to introspect and reflect on your behaviors in the world. Some days your yoga practice might be a sweaty vinyasa flow, working out the kinks in your physical body and breathing deeply. And other days, your yoga practice might be sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend or family member in need and being fully present with them. All of that is yoga practice when it is done with intention and presence.

The self discipline that is necessary on the yogic path doesn’t need to be rigid or harsh but it does need to be consistent. I love the idea of committing to 10 min of spiritual practice each day. On the days you have time to do more, DO IT! But on the days you don’t, savor those 10 min. It might be 5 min of meditation and 5 min of reading something uplifting. Make a commitment to 10 min (or more) a day and see how it improves your mental health and well-being.

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around like rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.” Anne Morris

Follow me @trueflowyoga1 for more inspirations or join my next 200hr Yoga Training to deepen your spiritual practice and journey!

It's Hard to Explain All of the Benefits that Arise from a Regular Yoga Practice...

It’s hard to explain all of the benefits that arise from a regular yoga practice. It’s not just about getting stronger or more flexible. It’s about remembering how to be fully present in your body, fully EMBODYING yourself.

In our modern culture, there is a huge disconnect for most of us between body and mind. Most of us are just a huge brain dragging a body along behind us. When we discover how to fully EMBODY ourselves again, everything about our life experience shifts.

We become more aware of our thoughts and feelings and instead of those unconscious processes controlling our experiences, we are able to create a little distance, to see things more clearly and objectively, and ultimately learn how to respond in ways that are more healthy, honest, and helpful.

As we recognize that our thoughts and feelings don’t need to control our lives, we begin to sense that there is some deeper underlying essence to us that is not our thoughts or our feelings or our bodies.

And this can be the beginning of a deeply personal spiritual experience that completely changes our lives.

We don’t change our lifestyle and our attitudes because we are told to or because we think we have to, but instead the process happens naturally, organically, and gradually because we are pushed forward by something deep and real.

And we are encouraged by how much happier and more alive we feel.

You may enter your first yoga class hoping to stretch your hamstrings, and you may end up on a deeply spiritual journey that COMPLETELY CHANGES YOUR LIFE instead.

(But don’t worry. We will still stretch our hamstrings!)