“When offerings are made in worship,
with or without proper knowledge,
I shall receive them gladly.”
– The Devimahatmya 12:11
Ok, I accept the invitation. From YogaJournal.com:
Isvara Pranidhana (Surrendering to God)
Patanjali defines “isvara” as “Lord,” and the word “pranidhana” conveys the sense of “throwing down” or “giving up.” Thus, isvara pranidhana can be translated as “giving up or surrendering the fruits of all our actions to God.”
Many people are confused by this niyama, in part because yoga is seldom presented as a theistic philosophy (even though Patanjali states in the 23rd verse of the Yoga Sutra that devotion to the Lord is one of the main avenues to enlightenment).
In fact, some yoga traditions have interpreted isvara pranidhana as requiring devotion to a particular deity or representation of God, while others have taken “isvara” to refer to a more abstract concept of the divine (much as Twelve Step programs allow participants to define “Higher Power” in their own way).
In either case, the essence of isvara pranidhana is acting as best we can, and then relinquishing all attachment to the outcome of our actions. Only by releasing our fears and hopes for the future can we really be in union with the present moment.
Paradoxically, this surrender requires tremendous strength. To surrender the fruits of our actions to God requires that we give up our egotistical illusion that we know best, and instead accept that the way life unfolds may be part of a pattern too complex to understand. This surrender, however, is anything but passive inactivity. Isvara pranidhana requires not just that we surrender, but also that we act.
This is our focus in teacher training this week. Some are struggling with the idea of devoting their practice to “God”, some are finding it easy and natural. I believe in God, so no big deal… Don’t worry, my god doesn’t want to pick a fight with your god or blast yours out of existence.
I’ve tried in the past to devote my practice to an idea or a goal or a person, but I don’t think I’ve ever been successful in actually making the connection between my intention and my asana practice. There were a few methods I used to make it happen for me this week…
1. When I felt fearful (especially of falling), I asked the spirit to hold me up. I trusted the energy of good being cultivated in my practice and in the practice of the students surrounding me to lift me.
2. I made my practice a true and worthy offering. No shortcuts, no excuses. I made each breath and movement a gift worthy of being received by a god(dess). This doesn’t mean there was perfection in each asana, only purity in intention and of effort.
3. I practiced like the balance of the Universe was in my hands; the energy and intention of my practice was keeping the peace and balance in my Self, my family, my children, my fellow classmates… I tried to create a wavelength that the Universe could surf upon.
And it worked. By placing this incredible importance on my practice, I became almost completely free of my fears. How did that work out? I don’t know, but it did. I was on a mission to please something so much bigger than myself, but it didn’t feel like pressure. It felt like a privilege. Of course my fears continued to creep in, but they disappeared almost as quickly as I became aware of them.
On Saturday, we were led through our first formal meditation session. I had all sorts of ideas about who I was and how I wasn’t a person who meditates, how I wasn’t a person who COULD meditate. I devoted my meditation practice to the divine, and all of those fears disappeared… with all my intention placed on making it a gift worthy of giving to a god(dess), I had no time to doubt myself. I also had a little help from my yak bone bracelet that was given to me by my teacher a few weeks ago (I continue to use it to meditate on the “death” of my imagined Self, the parts of “me” that aren’t truly “me”).
So now what do I do with all this new-found freedom from fear in my practice? Well, I practice more. What is more exciting that giving it up to the divine?