Surrender
Our journey through the Yamas and Niyamas are almost at the end. (We’ll still be counting through December for a bit longer though.) This is our last and is possibly the hardest to analyse. Isvara-panidhara is to surrender or submit. Often translated as surrendering to God but instead let’s use ‘higher power’. This doesn’t have to be an external higher power although it certainly can be. Search inside yourself and you might find your own, your inner self or maybe your divine self. You don’t need to label it, just know it is there. This is what you can surrender to, to accept.
If all this seems too much to take on, maybe today you can let go of something, possibly expectations. You can’t always control results but if you do your best, know that you’ve done your best and maybe surrender to the outcome. This can bring a sense of peace and calmness, when often the unknown brings the opposite.
Surrender yourself to your practice on the mat. Give yourself full permission to be there, feeling present and engaged, allowing you to be the best version of yourself.