The word surrender gets used in yoga classes but do we really understand what this means?
‘Surrender’ can conjure up a notion of passivity or a sense of giving up. But when we delve deeper into the teachings of yoga we understand surrender as a powerful state of deep awareness in the present moment.
So, surrender in yoga teaching doesn’t necessarily mean total passivity. It can mean that; in final relaxation when lying in corpse pose. But in more active poses it does not necessarily mean that the body is loose and not engaged.
The surrender is in relation to letting go of ego, or the constructed self. It’s moving beyond the thinking mind and dropping into the body. It’s a letting go of attachment to thoughts and ideas, and instead tuning into the present moment.
Drawing on my own experiences, I had to slowly surrender thoughts like ‘I should be better at this’, or ‘I’m not doing it right’ ‘I’m not good enough’ etc. It’s not about pushing thoughts down or pretending they are not there it’s about not being driven by these thoughts. We can acknowledge, observe, and allow them to pass. It’s not that we expect all thoughts to cease but we practice not getting caught up in these thoughts. In my experience sometimes this happens fairly successfully and sometimes it doesn’t. I practice not getting caught up in that either.
In yoga we aim to move out of a state of self doubt and into a state of ‘trust’ or ‘faith’. In this yogic state we become open and responsive and it’s in this ‘surrendered’ state that we can really move, and breath in a way which is healing for the body, mind and nervous system.
This process is not linear. We don’t just one day have it nailed down. We just slowly become more aware and can begin to observe without judgement. And this takes continual discipline and honesty. That’s why we have to keep returning to the practice.
So when you hear surrender in a class it’s not as simple as completely relaxing. In fact you may even be dynamically engaged in the physical body. But hopefully you will experience some moments where you can drop deeper into your own experience where the mind quietens and you can enjoy the sense of freedom that is available in this surrendered yogic state.