8 Limbs Yoga & Oils: Isvara Pranidhana
My dad likes to say never talk politics or religion. Sorry, but I kind of have to for this Niyama!
I won't speak for you, but I personally have always had a hard time with the concept of 'God'. It seems odd this concept of an all-powerful, all-knowing male, father-figure being who sits in the sky. However, I do believe in something larger than myself. For me, it makes sense to label this thing the Universe. I've always had this image in my of all beings connected to Earth and through the Earth (all one) yet reaching out, towards the universe. Kind of like the picture below, but add in people, animals, etc. See how all the stems and trunks share this connection directly to the Earth, which then connects them all? Anyway, that's kind of what I picture....
I won't speak for you, but I personally have always had a hard time with the concept of 'God'. It seems odd this concept of an all-powerful, all-knowing male, father-figure being who sits in the sky. However, I do believe in something larger than myself. For me, it makes sense to label this thing the Universe. I've always had this image in my of all beings connected to Earth and through the Earth (all one) yet reaching out, towards the universe. Kind of like the picture below, but add in people, animals, etc. See how all the stems and trunks share this connection directly to the Earth, which then connects them all? Anyway, that's kind of what I picture....
image courtesy of www.twitter.com
Isvara Pranidhana is the last of the niyamas. It is said that if you master this one, you don't need the others, which is most likely why this is the last. The yamas and niyamas we've previously explored prepare us for this one. Most often this niyama is translated as ‘surrender’ to the 'Supreme Being' 'Divine' or higher self. Now, yoga is not a religion. It in no way promotes any religion over another. It does, however, allude to the idea of something greater than ourselves and give a road map of how to realize this connection we have.
Instead of a 'Divine', I like to think of this niyama as a profoundly trusting relationship with the universe, so we can understand and offer up our actions both to something bigger than ourselves and to humanity. It's kind of like noticing the big picture, or having a shift of perspective from the obsession with "I"—with our narrow individual concerns and perspective - to the larger, collective "we" as in "we are all one". Wouldn't that alone profoundly change our reactions, responses, and choices? I see this as trusting in abundance; trusting in people; trusting in the power of kindness; trusting that we have value and worth, as does everyone; trusting our intuition; trusting that we are here for powerful, positive, purpose; trusting we will understand what that is. And in that trust, we surrender the need to control; to collect; to hoarde; to judge; to harm.
We can practice Iswara Pranidhana on the mat when we:
Instead of a 'Divine', I like to think of this niyama as a profoundly trusting relationship with the universe, so we can understand and offer up our actions both to something bigger than ourselves and to humanity. It's kind of like noticing the big picture, or having a shift of perspective from the obsession with "I"—with our narrow individual concerns and perspective - to the larger, collective "we" as in "we are all one". Wouldn't that alone profoundly change our reactions, responses, and choices? I see this as trusting in abundance; trusting in people; trusting in the power of kindness; trusting that we have value and worth, as does everyone; trusting our intuition; trusting that we are here for powerful, positive, purpose; trusting we will understand what that is. And in that trust, we surrender the need to control; to collect; to hoarde; to judge; to harm.
We can practice Iswara Pranidhana on the mat when we:
- give ourselves time to fully relax. Often we move through poses and postures more quickly than our body might need. Take more time to let yourself fully surrender into a pose.
- take a yin, nidra, or restorative class. If you tend towards a more intense or fluid yoga class, try taking one that will slow you down and allow time for surrender.
- grab a prop. Props are my best friend. I used to try to force my body into poses it just wasn't quite ready for when I could have grabbed a prop and allowed my body to get there, more slowly. Blocks, pillows, blankets, straps, whatever you've got, try it out!
- extend your savasana. Instead of 5 minutes at the end of class, give yourself and your students 10-15 minutes to fully absorb the practice and fully relax.
- let go of those worries in your head. We all have situations where we wonder if someone will like us, if we've done our best work. Acknowledge that we can do our very best in each situation, but we can’t really do any more than that. We won't like everyone we meet, and not everyone will like us, yet we can always choose to be kind.
- open up to what is. Notice those habits, patterns or limitation you have. They may have served you well for a while, but do they hold you back from experiencing life as it's unfolding? If so, let them go, replace them, make a shift.
- take time to meditate. Wake up early or fit it in where you can, but take 5 minutes to sit quietly with yourself.
Surrender and All Will Come
Today's Yoga & Oils Challenge invites you to surrender to the sacred divine within you and without through:
Oil: Rose Touch
Mudra: Matsya Mudra
Pose: Pigeon
Sequence: Sun A, low lunge, Prasarita, Pigeon
Intention: I honor the divine within and without
Oil: Rose Touch
Mudra: Matsya Mudra
Pose: Pigeon
Sequence: Sun A, low lunge, Prasarita, Pigeon
Intention: I honor the divine within and without
Rose is the oil of Divine Love. This oil holds the highest vibration of all essential oils. It is a powerful healer of the heart, supporting us in connecting with the divine both within and without. Rose encourages us to let go, surrender our limits, egos, & false perceptions in order to receive and appreciate the unwavering, unchanging love and abundance all around us. As our heart opens, love flows freely through the soul and we feel connected to all both here on Earth and within the Universal consciousness.
Rose comes pre-diluted in a Touch roller, which means it's perfect for topical use. Roll it on wrists, pulse points, over the heart, the third eye, on your mat or any diffuser jewelry you may have. You can also inhale directly from the roller or roll onto you palms to cup and inhale.
Rose comes pre-diluted in a Touch roller, which means it's perfect for topical use. Roll it on wrists, pulse points, over the heart, the third eye, on your mat or any diffuser jewelry you may have. You can also inhale directly from the roller or roll onto you palms to cup and inhale.
Matsya Mudra helps to activate the Water Element to bring a sense of fluidity, with the ability to flow with one’s truth and with life. It instills a grounded sense of release and calmness, reducing stress and bringing soothing waves of calm into body and mind. This mudra also cultivates emotional fluidity, and helps align the spine and is good for osteoarthritis.
- lay the right palm over the left, thumbs extended
Pigeon Pose is one of my favorites. I could hang out here all day! It is a pretty big hip opener (ie. stretch) as it lengthens the hip flexor, stretches the thighs, glutes and piriformis muscles, and extends the groin and psoas. As the hip joint is one of the most flexible joints in the entire human body it takes many different muscles to provide movement, strength, and stability there! Pigeon is also useful for relief from sciatic and back pain. This pose can also be helpful emotionally. We tend to store stress, trauma, fear and anxiety in the hips. Bottled up feelings can create tight hips, as can sitting for longs periods of time. Stretching through the hips in pigeon releases negative feelings and energy, relaxing our heart and mind. Pigeon is a big hip opener can be tough on the knee and hip if you hold a lot of tightness there. You'll find four options above for working with pigeon, three with props to help you along the journey.
- begin in table top position, knees under hips, shoulders over wrists
- exhale, slide your right forward so it is directly in front of its hip socket, shifting the right heel over towards the left hip without letting the knee slide to the side
- release your left knee to your mat, sliding the leg back it lays flat on the floor. Take a look backward and make sure that your left foot is pointing straight back.
- inhale, square your hips towards the front of your mat as you extend up through the spine, pushing through palms or fingers tips
- exhale, start to relax the torso forward over the right knee. You can take padding (a folded blanket, towel or block works well) under the right side of your hip, or under the entire right leg knee to hip, to make the pose more comfortable; use the block to enable you to slowly deepen your pose, fold completely over the front leg as your knees and hips allow; and even start to bring the front shin parallel to the top of the mat as you gain flexibility.
Iswara Pranidhana sequence is a short hip opener to help you relax and surrender into pigeon pose. Once in pigeon, if you are able to release the weight from hands, I encourage you to try matsya mudra as you take 5-8 full breaths.
Did you try Rose oil today? How about pigeon or the sequence to get you there? Did you find time to honor the divine both within and without? Comment below and let us know! You can also share a photo on IG using #EightLimbsChallenge and tag me @alifethatglows so I can come check it out. Stay tune for the remaining Limbs coming up!
Did you try Rose oil today? How about pigeon or the sequence to get you there? Did you find time to honor the divine both within and without? Comment below and let us know! You can also share a photo on IG using #EightLimbsChallenge and tag me @alifethatglows so I can come check it out. Stay tune for the remaining Limbs coming up!