Ishvara Pranidhana
“Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing.”
The last of the Niyamas translates as surrender to a higher power. This higher power is open to interpretation depending on your belief system. Sutra 2.45 states that ‘By total surrender to a higher power, samadhi is gained.’ Samadhi has many interpretations such as unity, oneness, bliss, peace.
This Niyama is the culmination of all the Yamas and Niyamas but also Sri Swami Satchidananda suggested that if we master this sutra we don’t need to practice the other Yamas and Niyamas.
Worrying about the future will not change it and dwelling or ruminating over the past will not change it. The present moment is all we ever have. The present moment or present reality is not always joyful so we distract ourselves in order to avoid it. Distracting ourselves or ignoring is a form of resistance and causes suffering. Having expectations of what our present moment should look like is a form of resistance and causes suffering. Being able to sit with the discomfort as well as the comfort brings about freedom and growth.
I can’t write much on this topic because I struggle with surrender. I am a self confessed control freak. I have controlled nearly every aspect of my life or I have at least tried to control it. Letting go is terrifying to me and I struggle with the concept of surrender as it comes up in my life.
I recently had an experience of having to surrender to an injury which meant that I had to change how I practice yoga asanas (poses) while I heal. There was a lesson there for me in surrender and patience.
I also struggle with surrendering to the changes in relationships as life experiences change and people grow. I value my friendships and am loyal to them. As a result I have a tendency to want them to stay the same instead of letting them evolve and at times letting them go. Clinging or attachment is a form of control and causes suffering. Surrendering to change as the only constant in our present moment can bring peace. I try to control the outcomes and this is a constant struggle for me.
“Life, at its best, is a flowing, changing process in which nothing is fixed.”
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , Translation and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, 2019
The Heart of Yoga, Developing a Personal Practice, T.K.V Desikachar, 1995
Threads of Yoga by Pamela Seelig, 2021
Applying the Yamas & Niyamas to Everyday Life. Julie Ela Grace. 10 Day Course on Insight Timer.
