How to Practice Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to a Higher Source

The final niyama in yoga’s eight limbed path is ishvara pranidhana, or surrder to a higher source. The yoga niyamas are the second limb of the eight limbed path, and are referred to as mental observances. Both the yamas and niyamas are the foundational teachings in yoga philosophy, and Ishvara Pranidhana is the perfect niyama to summarize the first two limbs of practice. One of my favorite resources regarding this topic is The Yamas and Niyamas, Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Principles by Deborah Adele.

Before diving into the topic of surrender, the idea of a higher source is personalized to each practitioner. Traditional texts may refer to this higher source as God, or Brama (supreme consciousness). Still, each practitioner will have their own idea of what this higher source is based off their cultural and religious backgrounds. Regardless, surrendering to a higher power, whatever that may be for you, is an act of ishvara pranidhana.

Why Practice Ishvara Pranidhana, Surrender?

At first it seems strange to practice surrendering. It is through surrendering though, that your ego is humbled, and you step closer into your true self. The first limb, the yamas are an act of karmic cleansing through moral restraints or disciplines. In practicing the yamas, you are better able to recognize the humanity within yourself and others. When you start practicing the niyamas, you start to recognize the inner consciousness that connects you to others. For example, svadhyaya or self study, is not just the act of aquiring information. Svadhyaya is also the act of studying your very own implemntation of this information. In order to do this, svadhyaya requires you to step into the observer state.

Then the question becomes, who is the observer and where did this gift of consciousness come from? Which leads us to ishvara pranidhana, surrender to a higher power, a recognition of the true self and oneness of all living beings. The closer you become to understanding and practicing this unified perspectice, the closer you become to samadhi or enlightenment.

How to Practice Ishvara Pranidhana on and off Your Yoga Mat

You may hear your teachers talk about surrendering to a pose or accepting the circumstances you can’t control. These are all small ways you can practice the act of surrender. However, Ishvara Pranidhana brings you back to the inner self and asks you to surrender to something higher. It is the recognition of the divine within, and the divine in, around, and above. Here are three ways you can practice ishvara pranidhana on and off your yoga mat.

Practice a full savasana

Too often people skip out on savasana or lay for an extremely short period of time. Savasana should be treated with just as much reverence as any other pose. When you are practicing savasana you allow your body and nervous system to rest and rebalance. This involves a great deal of surrender as you soften your body, and move into the deeper layers of your being.

However, you can only achieve this if you allow yourself to take a long savasana, anywhere from 7-10 minutes. There are five different layers of your being called koshas. Each kosha embodies a different layer of the conscious, human experience. Surrendering fully in savasana, will reveal these deeper layers, bringing you closer to oneness.

Challenge your ego and embody the observer

I’ve talked about this time and time again, but it is the essence of the mental diciplines of yoga. When situations rise that may not work in your favor, don’t take it personally. Step away from the singular narrative and start to view life’s situations from a bird’s eye perspective. This will help you gain understanding and allow you to explore your reactions with less judgement.

Eventually, the more you cultivate a unified perspective, the easier it will be to step into the role of the observer. In this role, you seperate your identity from your thoughts and feelings. Instead, allow these thoughts and feelings to rise without running away with them. The more you observe, the more you create space between your thoughts, emotions, and actions, allowing you to choose a more unified response to any given situation. When you align your actions with a unified perspective, you surrender your singular narrative to a higher power, bringing you closer to supreme consciousness.

Want to learn more about the practice of the yamas and niyamas? Check out Deborah Adele’s book The Yamas and Niyamas, Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice

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