Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to Immutable Energy

The final and tenth gem in our series of the yamas and niyamas is ishvara pranidhana.

Translation from Sanskrit

Ishvara pranidhana is the only gem that contains two words and, thus, it requires a more detailed translation into English.

Let's start with the first word ishvara. It translates from Sanskrit to English as "awareness, stillness, or energy that cannot be created or destroyed." Others translate ishvara into English using the term God or the Divine (Small, 2013).

Now let's put the two words together. Ishvara pranidhana translates to something close to surrendering to something that is greater than ourselves.

Since yoga is not a religion in and of itself, but rather, a philosophical practice with ancient roots in India, I prefer the terminology "immutable energy." In my personal thinking, the concept is in the union of the self that is merged with the energy that exists universally. Use the terminology that resonates most for you that helps you get closer to this idea.

The Philosophy of Surrender

Why surrender? In this case, surrendering means acceptance of the awesomeness of a higher source, or even the god-like qualities we may find within ourselves. Seiberling (2012) states that surrendering means acknowledging something that is larger than ourselves. She calls it wonder. That is, something so big that we are awestruck by it when it comes into our full awareness. In this sense, ishvara pranidhana is the surrender of one's conscious being to the energy of the wonderment.

When we merge that energy with awareness of the highest self, we are surrendering to the possibility of our own enlightenment. In yoga nidra meditation, we approach this concept in the bliss body, the fifth kosha. Many of us will never get there. Yet it is all in the journey, rather than the goal.

As a simple example, to practice ishvara pranidhana every time we bring awareness to our breath. By just noticing the wonder or the universal energy of our inhalations and exhalations, the body just breathing itself, is a surrender to the greatness of this natural biological system that sustains human life. To take this just a bit further take a deep intentional inhalation through the nostrils and exhale it noisily through the mouth. You may have just hit on a deep relaxation technique that helps you to surrender to your highest self.

To review of our series of yamas and niyamas, the first two limbs of yoga, you can always find any of the previous information I've provided in my previous blogs . I also encourage you to read other resources, if you are interested. The yamas and niyamas can be studied for a lifetime.

Ongoing Offerings

Yoga nidra classes continue online at 7:30 ET Monday nights. Join me tonight for a beautiful relaxing journey that will help you to heal, relax, and de-stress for an hour. On Thursday at 8:00 pm there is an opportunity for you to unwind from a long stressful day using Yoga Nidra. Please join me.

This week Thursday, April 7 and over the next 3 weeks I will teach for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through Eckerd College. I am online for the next 3 weeks at 2:00 pm. If an afternoon yoga nidra appeals to you, this class is definitely for you. The following weeks will be a delightful one hour yoga nidra experience. If you are interested visit their website to register.

Meditation & Yoga for Organizations

Using yoga and meditation techniques, I am available to support an organization's institutional mission and values tailored to the needs of employees. Meditation and yogic exercise have been shown to promote wellness that boosts employee morale, effectiveness, and productivity (Sheelu, Garg, & Rastogi, 2022). If you know someone who may be interested in setting up a meditation or yoga class for a retreat or as a regular amenity or employee benefit in their organization please forward this link to them.

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Resources:

Adele, D. (2009). The Yamas & Niyamas (Kindle). On Word Bound Books Llc.

Satchidananda, S. (2012). The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Integral Yoga Dist.

Seiberling, C. (2018). Yoga’s Yamas and Niyamas (Kindle). Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Small, S. (2013). Lost in Translation: Does Ishvara Pranidhana Really Mean God? - Wellness From Inside. Wellness From Inside. https://wellnessfrominside.typepad.com/wellness_from_insidelivin/2013/07/lost-in-translation-does-ishvara-pranidhana-really-mean-god.html