Isvara Pranidhana

The second limb of the eight-faceted path of yoga consists of the five Niyamas which are reflections that take us more toward internal observances, an interior resting place. The fifth and final of these Niyamas is called Isvara Pranidhana and can be translated as surrender or merging with the Divine. 

When I began to study the sutras more deeply, Nischala Joy Devi described the Yamas and Niyamas as being two pyramids, with the Yamas an inverted pyramid, standing on the pointy apex and the Niyamas as being the mirror image of that, standing on its base. The two apex points come together much like the shape of an hourglass or bowtie turned on its side. 

The top pyramid of the yamas has Ahimsa taking up the broadest aspect (the inverted base) as it overarches and influences all else through the practice of compassion and reverence for all beings. The lower pyramids broad base is occupied by Isvara Pranidhana, in that we surrender to the consciousness that permeates all. Ahimsa and Isvara Pranidhana are the bookends that carry a heavy importance in our practices that of compassion and letting go. If we only focused on those two elements, we would begin to make big shifts in how we relate to ourselves and all other beings.

Part of Isvara Pranidhana invites us to stay completely present and let go of the desire to see the results of our actions. When we undertake something, we often do so to achieve a particular goal. We exercise to lose weight; We complete college to get a good job; We marry to find happiness; We give a gift and want a thank you card; We meditate to be spiritual and on it goes. Yet, what Isvara Pranidhana is about is letting go of the outcome, releasing the expectation of what might happen when we do "X". When acting from the place of our highest intentions, we put it out to the Universe and let go of the expectation that we will get a particular result.

Part of the reason this is a challenging practice is because it requires us to trust the process of unfolding. We surrender to the current of the Universe rather than trying to influence it in a certain direction. It is understood that whatever we are doing, we are doing so with our best effort in that moment and we have little else to do once we are finished.

This surrender isn't an act of giving up but rather an act of relinquishing the need to feel control of the outcome. Feeling that we can control the outcome is an illusion and can be the seed that causes us great suffering. 

I'm certain that most everyone reading this has had a similar experience of saying something like, "it is, what it is" which loosens our grip on a thought for things to be different to what they are. When we soften this need it opens us to connect to the bigger picture. We let ourselves be cradled in the arms of divine energy-Isvara-which can be translated as 'Supreme Being', 'God', 'Brahman', 'Ultimate Reality', 'Collective Consciousness' or 'True Self'. It's that which is bigger than all of us. It can be thought of offering up the results of one's actions to the divine, or perhaps to all of humanity. And to quote Emma Newlyn:

"Surrendering to what is requires trust in our deepest Self, our intuition and the courage to express ourselves for who we are, as we are, with all of our perfect imperfections, which ultimately leads to freedom."

Svadhyaya

The second limb of the eight-faceted path of yoga consists of the five Niyamas which are reflections that take us more toward internal observances, an interior resting place. The fourth of these Niyamas is called Svadyaya and is translated as self-study.

Svadyaya can be viewed from a couple of different perspectives. The first is the more classical translation that self-study involves delving into sacred texts and scripture. The second is how we continue the study of our own connection to our innermost Divine Self. Through the practices, particularly if we begin to pay attention to the Yamas and Niyamas, we begin to have a framework by which we not only are exposed to ancient teachings but those teachings take us deeply into states of questioning, contemplation and meditation. Self-study is self-examination and we use the vehicle of any writings that inspire us to feel the presence of the indwelling spirit or guiding force.

I can vividly recall the moment when I recognized that the deeper level of the study of yoga was about to begin. It was during the early phases of my yoga  teacher training where yogic philosophy was introduced. I remember where I was sitting and then having this image of stepping through an open doorway and viewing what was on the other side as this wide open field of knowledge. It was like arriving at Disneyland for the first time and not knowing where to go first. I sat there, bedazzled, feeling the opportunity to tap into what I had been seeking. Up until that moment all of my yoga was quite physical and based around the poses. Having been physically active my whole life I understood on that level but felt that I wanted something deeper, more meaningful. In that moment, I had found what I was looking for.

Over thousands of years, seekers have sought ways in which they connect to spirit. All religions and spiritual practices have books as their guiding light: the Torah and Talmud, the Holy Bible, the Koran, the Tao Te Ching and the Bhagavad Gita. But it doesn't have to be any of these sources. It could be a new age writer such as Marianne Williamson or Ekhart Tolle, a poet such as Mary Oliver or Maya Angelou, or an inspirational leader such as Nelson Mandela. How we step into the practice of Svadhyaya is using the vehicle that takes us into an evolving version of our highest self. And that ride is a personal journey of exploration. 

I have been a perpetual student even when I had resistance to it following the completion of my graduate work. I "swore" that I was finished with study and "never again"! Yet, since that time my study has become deeply personal, extensive and ongoing. I often feel like I'm more of a student than ever before and I look for sweeter and sweeter nuggets that I wish to digest. The result is that not only do I connect into my own innermost Divine Self, but that connection seeps out into everything that I do...relationships, teaching yoga and connecting to people I don't even know.  

The path of student is often a solitary pursuit but it becomes even richer when we share parts of the process with others. That's why having a teacher who pushes us to the edge of our current knowing is vital as is having a supportive community in which to share the journey. So check out what books are sitting on your bedside table. Are they taking you deeper into your own inner realm of knowing or pulling you further away?

Please share...we are in this together!  

Tapas

The second limb of the eight-faceted path of yoga consists of the five Niyamas which are reflections that take us more toward internal observances, an interior resting place. The third of these Niyamas is called Tapas and is literally translated as heat but further as transformation through self-discipline and fire as a purifying flame.

For those of you who read this and have a yoga practice think back to what initially brought you to the mat. Why did you decide that you wanted to try this thing called yoga in the first place? People come to yoga for many reasons: to become more flexible; bring their body into balance; to manage stress; to better handle anxiety or depression; or perhaps for spiritual connection. 

I first stepped onto a yoga mat in the mid-90's when I was working at the University of Melbourne. My colleague was creating programs that introduced people to different activities and yoga was one of them. And man, was it ever popular! Every semester it was full with a waiting list. What brought me to the mat was my curiosity as to why it seemed that everyone was doing yoga. And I, like many others, felt things I had never experienced prior to that moment. In the beginning, it was very much a physical practice and it wasn't until a few years later that it truly altered my life. It was the spiritual element of yoga that put its hooks into me. I had been looking for ways to balance my fiery, active self, to find connection and meaning to my life. In an unconscious way, I was looking for a way to like myself more than I did and yoga showed me how.

Tapas is about transformation, and the methods within the practice of yoga provide the tools for us to come face to face with what we wish to alter. In essence, we need to walk through the fire of transformation to find a renewed sense of who we truly are. For those of you who've "done your work" know that at times it's prickly and uncomfortable. To quote Deborah Adele in her book, "The Yamas & Niyamas-Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice":

"The promise of a crisis is that it will pick us up and deposit us on the other side of something. Will we trust the process or will we run and hide?"

Stepping into our practice more fully through movement, breath, meditation, concentration and a withdrawing of senses has the power to deposit us on the other side of something. These ancient teachings have the power to ignite the fuse of change. What is it that you're trying to untangle in your life? What needs to be transformed? The other part of Tapas is self-discipline which is that we actually have to undergo the practices for any transformation to occur. 

For years I was the theoretical meditator...knowing about the practice but having no regular discipline in its undertaking. It wasn't until I made the commitment to the practice did I truly begin to scratch the surface of its magic and the potential for greater insight into my own life. I needed to do it...not just think about doing it. What have you been thinking about but perhaps not ready to tackle due to some belief that holds you back? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it letting go of those "golden handcuffs"? Is it facing something that you packed down into your inner self so you didn't have to confront it?

The beauty of the Yamas and Niyamas is that they interrelate with one another. As we step into the fire of our own growth, we do so from a place that is aligned with the first Yama---Ahimsa or compassion and reverence for all beings including ourselves. We step gently into what it is we are trying to alter rather than going so full on into it that we begin to cause ourselves harm or distress. We approach all practices from a place of contentment (Santosha) and kindness, rather than feeling as though something is "wrong" with us and we need to repent.

As you examine why you first stepped onto the mat, ask yourself why you're still practicing? What's changed since those first few sessions? What have you transformed and how has your initial intention morphed? I have enjoyed asking people in classes this past week what brought them to yoga and would love to hear your answers to that same question. I'm curious as to how things have changed since then and what's happening in your current practice?

Feel free to share, we are all on this journey together as we walk through the purifying flame of transformation!