Ishvara Pranidhana, surrender, is the last of the Niyamas.  It means having faith that everything will always turn out exactly the way it’s supposed to.  Faith is not an excuse to sit idly by and let life happen to you, nor is it a fatalist “nothing I do matters anyway” philosophy.  It’s about balance: striving while being unattached to the results (Aparigraha).  As Dan Harris puts it in 10% Happier, “The final outcome is out of your control. If you don’t waste your energy on variables you cannot influence, you can focus much more effectively on those you can.”

Act always as if the future of the universe depends

on what you did while laughing at yourself for thinking

that whatever you do makes any difference.

-Buddhist saying  

Here’s how I practice Ishvara Pranidhana in my life:

When I’m in my head, worried about my difficulties, I reassure myself by remembering that I’m just a speck of dust in this universe and that my lifetime hardly measures on the timeline of existence.  This might sound depressing, but it’s not.  I’m comforted to know that I am part of something much bigger.  My struggles feel a little less oppressive.

By Efbrazil, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

When taking big, scary steps in my personal and professional life (Tapas), I get over my anxiety of failure and financial ruin by telling myself “If I’m meant to be hungry and homeless, I will be.”

Ishvara Pranidhana gives me the courage to sign for a loan, to start my own business, to take on life’s next challenge.  Again, that might sound negative, but it’s not.  I’m embracing the risk while planning to work hard to be successful. I will not let me fear hold me back.

Reflection (Svadhyaya) and practicing gratitude help me realize that everything has happened and is happening for a reason (Santosha). I’m in a good place personally and professionally, why would I want to go back (not that I could) and change anything in my past?  Maybe erasing that one hardship, that one “wrong” decision, that one painful year, would set my life on a different path and I wouldn’t be here now.  I’ve learned to reframe thoughts like “this happened/is happening to me” to “this happened/is happening for me.”

I think of my life like a GPS navigation system: my destination is programed.  There will be detours, setbacks, and missed turns, but I trust that I will be rerouted to get where I need to go. I always know in my heart that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Alicia Cross is a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Coach, and Yoga Instructor with more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in classes and one-on-one.  She is a yogi, meditator, vegan, and lifter of heavy things. If you’re ready to discover the strength and peace that comes from within, email Alicia@AliciaCrossTraining.com.

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