September’s affirmation is: “I surrender to the cosmic will.” Now, compare this to August’s affirmation: “My will is all-powerful.” (These monthly affirmations are from the book “Yoga: Your home practice companion” by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre.)
So, how to make sense of these seeming opposites? Yogic teachings urge us to exercise and strengthen our will-power, and yet to surrender to a higher will. How do we put this into action?
Imagine that you have a garden, and you are trying to grow a tomato plant. Well, this takes commitment. You need to take care of it regularly – water it, weed it, support it, keep the deer away, and so on. Sticking to this commitment takes will-power. Lots of other things will come along to distract you from your garden. You need will-power to stick to it, to keep showing up, to put forth your best effort.
But even if you do all this, it is possible that the tomato plant may not grow well. Cool weather, insects, a plant disease, hungry squirrels – any of these may affect your harvest. This is the surrender part. We must be ready to accept with equanimity both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ outcomes. The masters taught that our role is simply to put in our best effort, and to accept whatever comes of it. We cannot completely control the outcomes. There is a cosmic will at play, and even if it seems that it is not working in our favour, it actually is. Whatever happens to us is actually in our best and highest interest, if only we can use these situations to learn and grow.
Here is another idea to consider. Why did you grow that tomato plant in the first place? If you grew that plant because you wanted lots of sweet, juicy tomatoes to eat, then you’d probably be angry if the squirrels stole all those tomatoes, right?
When we choose to do something because we desire a certain outcome, then we are bound to suffer sooner or later – because we can’t control the outcomes.
But if we choose to do something because we see the act itself as a form of service or devotion, then whatever the outcome, we are content.
Finally, let’s ask ourselves: What do we want to grow in our gardens? I’m not talking about tomatoes now. What do you value? What do you want to grow in your life? Are you tending to those plants?
Swami Vishnudevananda taught that “Health is wealth. Peace of mind is happiness. Yoga shows the way.” The many practices of yoga help us to tend to our health and our peace of mind. We practice with faith in the teachings. We practice with non-attachment to the outcomes. We practice with the intention to be of service to ourselves, our families, our communities.
As always, I invite your comments, questions and ideas! Namaste.
P.S. This photograph is of Swami Vishnudevananda practicing scorpion pose, and his teacher, Swami Sivananda, watching.