Īśvarapraṇidhāna

The art of letting go requires softening our edges. Surrendering to each moment.

Our analytical minds seek to understand everything and question or contort; desiring less or more and holding onto expectations. But our body is willing to shapeshift and shed, ever-evolving, encouraging balance and be-ing now.

It isn’t that the mind and body are separate; they aren’t. But over time we have given more precedence to our thinking thoughts. Modern life creates distance between receiving our felt sense, intuition and instinct. Instead, we lean into thinking more than feeling.

The physicality of Yoga is a way of diving into body and breath.

So much of the practice relies on surrender and trust. Knowing that where we are is exactly where we are meant to be. Understanding that to push or force, or hold on so tightly, only creates resistance and patterns that don’t (and won’t) serve us.

Like an elastic band, if we’re held taut, we will stretch beyond our limit or break.

So much of the world seeks control and power.

But there is great beauty in letting go and surrender. For that shows true faith.

We have to be like leaves falling into streams, allowing the current to take us, while we gaze at the vastness of sky. Swimming in oceans, we literally become fluidity and flow, deep surrender and trust.

We allow our body to be heard, rather than drowning out its messages with ripples sourced from our monkey mind. It’s no coincidence that silent and listen comprise the same letters.

When we grip or hold onto ideas, people, patterns or systems, we only ever create rigidity.

A life lived consciously, in all our moments, is one of abundance. When we are true to self and surrendering to body language and presence, we rarely later wish we could revisit moments to act, say or do something different.

If we live in our whole-body-yes moments and really surrender then we act from our highest integrity; our truth.

Presence is a common theme for us. In truth, every single sankalpa (intention), krama (sequence) and sentence strung essentially speak the same story. Like posture, there are thousands of ways. But they all lead to The Way. It’s just which one lands and resonates deepest.

Surrendering to what is doesn’t mean that we don’t craft our lives through manifestation. Īśvarapraṇidhāna doesn’t mean we can be lazy and assume that whatever we desire will just show up.

Instead, it means that we do all we can to ensure that the people, rituals, our nourishment and intentions are so aligned with what we want to manifest. That we do, say and act with pure trust and faith. And surrender to the outcome, trusting the universe to transpire our desire.

It involves knowing when to let go, and not to seek control. Instead, listening so intently to our body’s innate wisdom.

Softening our edges and letting go. Spreading palm, as opposed to clenched fist.

Here is some ritual of devotion.

Trusting the process of life. And being a willing contributor to the story of our life, rather than a spectator to what is.

Play light.

Drop expectations.

Let go. See what stays.