March 2023 Studio Focus: Isvara Pranidhana (Surrender)

Our focus at the studio this March is ISVARA PRANIDHANA, or "Surrender."   When I think about my own life, I realize that feelings of freedom and expansion come more from letting go than they ever do from adding anything in.  I invite you to sit with this theme throughout the month in your practice.  With Spring just a few weeks away, this is a perfect time to release any layers that are causing you imbalance.

ISVARA PRANIDHANA is the very last Niyama of Patanjali's yoga sutras.  ISVARA translates to mean, 'Supreme Being',  'God', or 'True Self', and PRANIDHANA means 'fixing'.  ISVARA PRANIDHANA invites us to surrender inward.  Swami Satchidananda, translator of the Yoga Sutras, says that if you can master this Niyama, there is no need to practice any of the others.

When we practice ISVARA PRANIDHANA we acknowledge that we are a part of something larger than ourselves.  We understand that everything is one, and we make our actions and way of living an offering to something greater than us.  ISVARA PRANIDHANA involves letting go of trying to control the pieces of our lives and instead landing inward and trusting where that leads us.  It brings us feelings of safety, comfort, flow, and freedom.

Below are a few suggested journal prompts to support you in your surrender:

Is there something specific in my life now needing to be surrendered?
If so, why is it important I surrender this?
When I think about "surrender", what words and images pop into my head?
What does "surrender" feel like in my body?
What rituals, practices, or tools can support me in my "surrender?"

Here are some ways to prioritize ISVARA PRANIDHANA this month, in your yoga practice and life:

~ Trust when you need to rest in a yoga class.  Instead of pushing through, listen to your body and take some time in child's pose or another restorative pose.
~ Surrender into an asana.  Instead of focusing on the discomfort, drop your mind's attention onto the breath in the body and stay there.
~ Surrender worrying about tomorrow and instead put your energy into the present moment.
~ Surrender anything that feels rigid.  Conditioned patterns and habits hold you back from experiencing the fullness of life!
~ Surrender over-analyzing, judging, and expecting.  Let go of your Ego and land in your heart.