This is the last of our eight-week series on the “Deeper Dimensions of Yoga.” This week, we explore “isvarapranidhana”, which can mean either surrender or devotion, or both! Here, Patanjali (author/compiler of the Yoga Sutras) is referring specifically to surrender or devotion to God. But even if God is not a concept we relate to, the concept of isvarapranidhana can be of guidance to us.
Imagine this: You are lying on the floor, on your back, in savasana (corpse pose) – arms and legs a bit apart, the palms facing up. Your body is relaxed, loose, soft. You are letting go of all the effort in your body, surrendering your body to gravity, allowing the floor to support you completely. Feel the ease in your body, the space you are creating for deep relaxation and restoration.
In this posture, you have surrendered your body… but how about your mind? Do we let the mind go? This is where we can practice some devotion. Devote your mind to one thing. Focus your mind on one point. What should it be? You can choose! In class, I often suggest to focus the mind on the breath. Follow the flow of your breath from the nostrils to the lungs and back out again. Be aware of each part of the breath – the in-breath, the pause, the out-breath, the pause. Explore every detail about your breath. Another possible focal point for the mind is a mantra (see Week 7). Even off the mat, the breath and mantra can continue to be focal points for us. This helps to bring and keep our awareness on the Now, to harness the mind, to find and act from a place of greater clarity.
Focusing the mind on one thing is a ‘small’ example of devotion. It is worth considering, on a larger scale, what we are devoted to, and how this does or doesn’t serve us (thanks to Sylvie Gouin for this bit of wisdom). As I was pondering this in relation to my own life, I came to realize that I had a devotion to tidiness… and that this devotion wasn’t serving me very well. It was leading to stress rather than peace. I continue to value tidiness, but I’ve shifted my focus to nurturing, caring for, uplifting my family – which for me includes keeping the home tidy, but it’s not just about tidiness – there is a bigger picture. What is your bigger picture? What is your driving desire? What is your devotion? Bringing awareness to this helps us to stay on track, or to shift tracks if that’s what’s needed.
In yoga, there is another, related aspect of isvarapranidhana: to perform our daily tasks as an offering to the greater good, without any expectation of outcome or reward. To continue with my example: I can care for my family to the best of my ability, with a heart full of love, but let me refrain from expecting praise or recognition or even certain outcomes (like happy, healthy children). The Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and other yoga texts teach that this is the way beyond suffering.
We began our session with the concepts of Prakriti (body/mind; see Week 1) and Purusha (soul; see Week 2). We’ll return now to these ideas. We can say that one of the greatest devotions is the devotion of our Prakriti (body and mind) to finding and serving our Purusha. Through yoga, we open, cleanse, nourish, and strengthen our body and mind, so that the light of Purusha can flow and shine through. This is like pulling back the curtains, and letting in the sunlight. Everything gets brighter and clearer.
We have one more class before our summer break – a putting-it-all-together, tying-up-loose-ends kind of class. All welcome to attend: Wednesday June 6th, 7-8:15pm. This last class is free.