Ishvara Pranidhana - The Practice of Surrender

In the episode we are exploring the fifth and final Niyama, Ishvara Pranidhana. 

Often translated as Surrender. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Welcome to County Stars Yoga. Hi, I'm Lisa, a lifelong given of yoga and Ayurveda, and the love of our couple and discovering the sacred work through everyday life. Thank you for joining me as we call Yoga Philosophy, the eight lengths of yoga, the wisdom of Ayurveda, and the many stars of yoga practice and popcorn as a background to our stuff. What are you going to use for yoga? I'm going to use this podcast here to put out definitely practically and stop the way. A gentle note before we begin, this podcast is often for educational and inspirational episodes. It's not medical or psychological advice. Please always listen to your body and seek professional care with it. So take some time for yourself. Take a slow, steady breath in, and Exhale arriving here with me. Hi everybody, and welcome to the podcast. In this episode, we're exploring the fifth and final niyama, Ishvara Pranadhana. And of all the niyamas, this is perhaps the one that can feel the most mysterious. The Sanskrit words can sound unfamiliar, but the practice itself is something we've all experienced at different moments in our lives. Ishvara Pranadhana is often translated as surrender or more simply learning to let go. And surrender can be a word that makes us feel uncomfortable. We often associate it with giving up, with maybe admitting defeat or losing control. But in yoga, surrender means something very different. It isn't about giving up. It's about letting go of the need to control everything. And it's about recognizing that while there are many things we can influence, there's also many things we simply cannot. And perhaps one of the greatest causes of our suffering is trying to hold on to what it was never ours to control in the first place. And we all do it. We try to predict the future. We can replay conversations in our minds or worry about outcomes that haven't happened. We hold tightly to expectations of how life should unfold. And often we carry a weight that was never ours to carry. We don't do this because it doesn't matter anymore. But because constantly carrying it just isn't helping us. There's a beautiful saying that reminds us to do our best and leave the rest. And I think that captures this practice as well. We show up with kindness, make thoughtful choices, we can care really deeply. But when we release our grip on the outcome, because life has a wisdom of its own, and as a yoga teacher, I've seen this so many times. Someone walks into class carrying the weight of the day, their shoulders are tight, their mind is racing. They've spent hours trying to solve every problem before it's even happened. And then somewhere during the practice, often in Shadasana, something changes, the breath softens, the body lets go. And just for a few moments they stop trying to hold everything together. And when they leave, the problems may still exist, but they're carrying them differently. And sometimes surrender doesn't change our circumstances, it just changes our relationship with them. And this teaching also reminds us that we don't have to have every answer. There's so much pressure in modern life to know exactly where we're going, to have a five-year plan, to make all the right decisions, to never make mistakes. But what if life isn't asking us to have all the answers? What if it's simply asking us to take the next right step with one breath, one conversation, one act of kindness, one moment of presence. And there's a quiet freedom in admitting that we don't know everything, that we don't have to. In many traditions, Ishvara refers to something greater than ourselves. For some people that's God, for others it may be nature or the universe, love, or simply the wisdom of life itself. There's no single way to understand it. What matters is the willingness to recognize that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves, and perhaps to trust that life is still unfolding. Even when we cannot yet see the whole picture. This doesn't mean life will always be easy, there'll still be loss, uncertainty, disappointment. Surrender doesn't remove these experiences. It can soften our resistance to them. It reminds us that we can breathe even in uncertainty. That we can trust ourselves to meet whatever life places before us. And like all the nyanas, Isvara Pranadharma is a practice. Some days it will feel natural, other days we'll find ourselves gripping tightly again, trying to control every detail, trying to protect ourselves from the unknown. And each time we notice that, we have another opportunity to soften and to take a breath. Another opportunity to remember that we don't have to carry the whole world on our shoulders. And so as you move through your day, I'd like to leave you with a simple reflection. What are you holding on to right now? Is there something you've been trying to control that is asking instead for your trust? What would it feel like to loosen your grip just a little? Not to stop caring. Not to stop trying. But to trust that you've done what you can for today. And perhaps that is the heart of Iswara Pranadharma. To live wholeheartedly to do your best with love and integrity. And then with a deep breath to let life meet you where you are. Thank you for joining me as we've journeyed through the five niyamas together. My hope is that these ancient teachings have reminded you that yoga is so much more than the poses we practice on the mat. It's a way of living, a way of meeting ourselves with compassion, a way of moving through the world with awareness. And perhaps more importantly, a way of remembering that even in the busiest seasons of life, peace is never as far away as we think. Sometimes it's waiting in a single breath. As we close today's podcast, thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you'd like to stay connected, you can find more yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic wisdom at countingstars.com.au. And you can also practice with me in this video or online. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook at Counting Stars Yoga and subscribe to the CountingStar Yoga YouTube channel and week for sacred places. Until next time, I'll take a break with definitely three or two days.