The Great Surrender
Simone Preuss
A few weeks ago, I realised that a big surrender happened in my life before I started my yoga journey or even knew about the concept of Ishvarapranidhana. It was when my daughter was small and, in the care of someone else, went on her first Jet Ski ride - at only three years old and without knowing how to swim. I learned about this only after the fact and after my initial shock subsided, I realised that as a mother, I had basically two choices: I could either worry myself sick whenever my child was not in my care at school, at friends’ houses, when engaging in after-school activities, on trips and many other occasions or simply let go, trusting in the power of life. Thankfully, I chose the latter or by now, fifteen years later, I would be a nervous wreck.
There is much we cannot control and as much as we would want to protect others, our children especially, it is their own journey-and Karma-after all. We may share it for a while, but we will not and cannot share each and every moment. And when we cannot, it is best to take whatever precautions are in our hand – tell children about road safety, stranger danger, and instil a good amount of common-sense and then surrender to what is beyond our control. Life will sort itself out. Always.
I recently got to a deep surrender moment again when a family member went through a hurtful custody battle. Seeing a child that is loved so much and so happy with the ‘losing’ party swept away was a bitter pill to swallow. After agonizing, empathizing, worrying and spending sleepless nights, I decided it was enough. This was clearly out of my hands, I had done everything I could (which was just to be there and offer support) and now it was time to bow down to the unseen forces at work - forces older than time and wiser than the wisest. After that, there has been a bit more peace, less agonising and some comforting words I could share.
Of the Niyamas, Ishvarapranidhana is the last and most difficult one, that is why the others come before, especially Tapah (self-discipline) and Svadhyaya (self-study) - the three of them forming the technique of Kriya Yoga. But there is no need to know the term lshvarapranidhana or even the yoga context we often apply the technique when life forces us to. Especially skeptics who lack in faith (like myself, when my daughter was a mere toddler) will find themselves cornered or at the crossroads, with surrendering being the option that provides peace of mind at last.
This understanding did not come to me for a long time - I thought Ishvarapranidhana had to do with religious faith, leaving one’s fate in the hands of one of the many gods available. Having grown up with the Christian faith, the trinity of father, son and holy ghost somehow never convinced me, neither did Christian splinter groups or the multitude of gods and goddesses in India.
So Ishvarapranidhana seemed out of reach for me and when I started teaching Yoga Sutra classes, the topic had me squirming in my seat. That is until I realised that Ishvarapranidhana has nothing to do with religion. In fact, in the Yoga Sutras - one of the most exhaustive ancient texts on the subject, with seven Sutras and 29 words dedicated to it Ishvara is kept deliberately free of the association with any specific god or religion, given that it encompasses all divine aspects and not selected ones as personified by certain gods. It is rather a role model a blank slate that was never afflicted by the impurities that plague us mere mortals – Kleshas, Karmas, Vasanas and Samskaras. According to Yoga Sutras 1.24 to 1.26 and the commentaries, Ishvara is omniscient, with knowledge that has neither beginning nor end, is with complete satisfaction and freedom, has immeasurable powers, is always conscious and the teacher of all teachers, the Guru of all Gurus.
The big question is - how do we connect to this Ishvara? By surrendering, by placing our fate in the hands of this Purusha Vishesha - the special Purusha. After all, there is a Purusha part in each of us, we just have to connect to it. And this is why the Yoga Sutras introduce the concept of Ishvara as opposed to Samkhya philosophy, which makes do with just the two elements of Prakriti and Purusha. But it is by acknowledging, by feeling in the inner most core of our heart, the presence of this Purusha Vishesha, this absolute consciousness that we connect with our own, individual Purusha. And we do that by raising our vibrations to a higher level, by chanting A-U-M, the all-encompassing, primordial, complete sound, Pranavah according to Sutra 1.27, which literally translated means humming in Sanskrit.
By its repetition- the Mantra AUM, and the reflection on its meaning, the Chitta (personality complex) becomes one-pointed (Sutra 1.28), after which comes the understanding of the inner consciousness (individual Purusha) and the removal of obstacles (Sutra 1.29).
The Great Surrender
Simone Preuss
A few weeks ago, I realised that a big surrender happened in my life before I started my yoga journey or even knew about the concept of Ishvarapranidhana. It was when my daughter was small and, in the care of someone else, went on her first Jet Ski ride - at only three years old and without knowing how to swim. I learned about this only after the fact and after my initial shock subsided, I realised that as a mother, I had basically two choices: I could either worry myself sick whenever my child was not in my care at school, at friends’ houses, when engaging in after-school activities, on trips and many other occasions or simply let go, trusting in the power of life. Thankfully, I chose the latter or by now, fifteen years later, I would be a nervous wreck.
There is much we cannot control and as much as we would want to protect others, our children especially, it is their own journey-and Karma-after all. We may share it for a while, but we will not and cannot share each and every moment. And when we cannot, it is best to take whatever precautions are in our hand – tell children about road safety, stranger danger, and instil a good amount of common-sense and then surrender to what is beyond our control. Life will sort itself out. Always.
I recently got to a deep surrender moment again when a family member went through a hurtful custody battle. Seeing a child that is loved so much and so happy with the ‘losing’ party swept away was a bitter pill to swallow. After agonizing, empathizing, worrying and spending sleepless nights, I decided it was enough. This was clearly out of my hands, I had done everything I could (which was just to be there and offer support) and now it was time to bow down to the unseen forces at work - forces older than time and wiser than the wisest. After that, there has been a bit more peace, less agonising and some comforting words I could share.
Of the Niyamas, Ishvarapranidhana is the last and most difficult one, that is why the others come before, especially Tapah (self-discipline) and Svadhyaya (self-study) - the three of them forming the technique of Kriya Yoga. But there is no need to know the term lshvarapranidhana or even the yoga context we often apply the technique when life forces us to. Especially skeptics who lack in faith (like myself, when my daughter was a mere toddler) will find themselves cornered or at the crossroads, with surrendering being the option that provides peace of mind at last.
This understanding did not come to me for a long time - I thought Ishvarapranidhana had to do with religious faith, leaving one’s fate in the hands of one of the many gods available. Having grown up with the Christian faith, the trinity of father, son and holy ghost somehow never convinced me, neither did Christian splinter groups or the multitude of gods and goddesses in India.
So Ishvarapranidhana seemed out of reach for me and when I started teaching Yoga Sutra classes, the topic had me squirming in my seat. That is until I realised that Ishvarapranidhana has nothing to do with religion. In fact, in the Yoga Sutras - one of the most exhaustive ancient texts on the subject, with seven Sutras and 29 words dedicated to it Ishvara is kept deliberately free of the association with any specific god or religion, given that it encompasses all divine aspects and not selected ones as personified by certain gods. It is rather a role model a blank slate that was never afflicted by the impurities that plague us mere mortals – Kleshas, Karmas, Vasanas and Samskaras. According to Yoga Sutras 1.24 to 1.26 and the commentaries, Ishvara is omniscient, with knowledge that has neither beginning nor end, is with complete satisfaction and freedom, has immeasurable powers, is always conscious and the teacher of all teachers, the Guru of all Gurus.
The big question is - how do we connect to this Ishvara? By surrendering, by placing our fate in the hands of this Purusha Vishesha - the special Purusha. After all, there is a Purusha part in each of us, we just have to connect to it. And this is why the Yoga Sutras introduce the concept of Ishvara as opposed to Samkhya philosophy, which makes do with just the two elements of Prakriti and Purusha. But it is by acknowledging, by feeling in the inner most core of our heart, the presence of this Purusha Vishesha, this absolute consciousness that we connect with our own, individual Purusha. And we do that by raising our vibrations to a higher level, by chanting A-U-M, the all-encompassing, primordial, complete sound, Pranavah according to Sutra 1.27, which literally translated means humming in Sanskrit.
By its repetition- the Mantra AUM, and the reflection on its meaning, the Chitta (personality complex) becomes one-pointed (Sutra 1.28), after which comes the understanding of the inner consciousness (individual Purusha) and the removal of obstacles (Sutra 1.29).