Isvara Pranidhana – Surrender to a Higher Power
This niyama is about surrendering the ego and personal will to a higher power. It's a recognition that there is a greater force at work in the universe and that by aligning with it, one can live in harmony and with greater purpose. This greater force may be God, the universe, Buddha – whoever or whatever you believe in.
“From an attitude of letting go into one’s source (ishvarapranidhana), the state of perfected concentration (samadhi) is attained. ”
Isvara Pranidhana is devotion and self-surrender. It is often translated as ‘surrendering to God’. However, if you don’t believe in God then you can interpret this as ‘surrendering to a higher power’ or simply letting go of expectations.
This personal observance fuses two common aspects of yoga within it: the devotion to something greater than the self and the selfless action of karma yoga, service.
Patanjali tells us that to reach the goal of yoga you must dissolve your egocentric nature and let go of your constant identification with yourself. To do this, your yoga practice and all of the benefits you may receive from your practice must be seen as an offering to something greater than yourself. Through this simple act of dedication, you become reminded of your connection to your higher power, and your yoga practice becomes sacred and filled with grace, inner peace, and abounding love.
Our modern society is focused on “getting there”. It is goal and result focused. This can be at great cost to us and others. Our focus needs to shift to recognise the importance of the process, the system. It is the intention and effort that are important.
On your mat, practice letting go of the results, be dedicated to the practice and acknowledge there is a higher power. Remember there is no perfect pose, it is about how it feels in your body. Use your practice to allow the mind and body to become calm and clear so that you can recognise the divine force within you.
Off your mat, practising Isvara Pranidhana by taking a few moments each day to pause and breathe slowly. Allowing your mind to become clear. You can create a formal practice by committing (using tapas) to doing daily meditation, reading or prayer. Or you can introduce it more informally – simply pausing to take a few conscious breaths on the bus or taking a walk in nature being aware of everything around you. Take time to acknowledge that there is a story bigger than your own, there is a bigger purpose, and you are simply an actor playing your part in the universal / God’s plans.
Recently I have managed to establish practising this Niyama with the aid of the Calm app and the “Daily Jay” meditation. It is a daily life lesson provided by Jay Shetty, author of “Think like a Monk”. A moment of calm to stop, breathe and reflect on an aspect of life. There are lots of apps, tools and techniques that can be explored to help with this Niyama. And if the one you choose doesn’t work, then look for another one!