This applies to our whole lives. Big things- surrendering to the fact that your career choice may not lead you to riches, once that is accepted- you can find happiness in the joys of your career, that you've stayed true to what is important to you, and that you still find a way to house, clothe, and feed your family. Surrender to the loss of a loved one, when you fully accept, you can find joy in your memories of that person, your continued love for them, and the ability to pass on the knowledge they instilled in you. Surrender to the big happinesses in life. When you take a beautiful hike and reach a gorgeous view, surrender to the moment. Stop judging, stop saying "I can't wait to come back here". YOU ARE HERE. Enjoy. Take it all in, using all of your senses. Surrender to time spent with your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends. When you fully surrender to the moment, you'll enjoy and appreciate them. You'll create stronger bonds and deepen your relationships.
Surrender on the small scale too. Surrender to traffic. Surrender to waking up at 5:00am. Surrender to eating healthy. Surrender to eating cake! Surrender to laziness and business. Surrender to the long line at the grocery store. Surrender to the joy of your team winning the Super Bowl or that your team didn't make it. When we surrender on the small scale, we create room for joy, celebration, or simply peace.
Take it to your mat. Surrender to holding warrior II for 10 breaths. Surrender to the fact that you still can't hold handstand or the joy of finally getting it. Surrender in pigeon pose. Especially pigeon pose.
Practice surrender on your mat this week. A great way to do this is through hip opening. Opening any tight joint will require surrender. Finally loosening those muscles, sending your breathe there to help break down any staleness. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Surrender to it. Hip openers also force you to surrender to emotion. Do you ever feel angry, scared, sad, or anxious in pigeon pose? You're opening your psoas muscle, which can trigger your fight/flight response. Until that muscle begins to loosen up and relax, you'll encounter this emotion. Surrender to it. Any emotion that arrises, take a deep breathe and fully accept it.
Here are some great poses for surrender, hold each for at least one minute taking deep, full breaths in and out through your nose:
Pigeon Pose / Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Begin in downward facing dog. Lift one leg for three-legged dog. Bring the lifted leg forward with your hip externally rotated, so that your knee is wider than your hip and toes toward the wrist of your opposite hand. Lower your shin and then hips to the mat. Untuck the back toes and internally rotate the back hip so that the top of your back leg and foot are flat to the floor, all the way to your pinky toe. Hips are square, like 9 & 3 on a clock. The ideal is for your front shin to be parallel with the front of your mat. This isn't necessary or even attainable for a lot of people. Once your lower body is set up, place your hands wider than shoulder distance and extend the upper body tall. Lead with your chest and walk your hands toward the front of the mat. Once you've made your upperbody as long as possible, surrender into the stretch. Place your forehead on the mat, a block, a folded up blanket, whatever. Relax your shoulders and jaw. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Modify: Place an evenly rolled up blanket under your hips if they do not reach the floor beneath you.
Squat / Malasana
Begin in tadasana (mountain pose). Heel-toe your feet approximately mat distance. If your hips don't like to open this way (like mine), turn your toes out to a 45 degree angle. Lower to a forward fold, then bend your knees lowering your hips. Keep your heels on the mat and lift your upper body, crown of the head extending toward the ceiling and chest forward. Elbows come to your inner knees helping the external rotation of your hips, shoulders relax. Maybe take your hands to heart center. Relax your glutes and quads. Surrender to the pose. Or surrender to the fact that this pose requires you to pet your dog.
Modify: Place an evenly rolled up blanket under your heels or sit on a block.
Fire Log Pose / Agnistambhasana
Begin in an easy seated position directly on the middle of your sits bones. No hunching of the back, sit on an evenly folded blanket if this is difficult for you. Place one shin on top of the other, totally parallel. Its okay if your top leg doesn't lay flush to your bottom. Feet past the opposite knee. Flex your feet and sit up tall. Place your hands on the mat in front of you, lead with the chest as you walk your hands forward. Repeat with the opposite leg on top.
Modify: Sit on an evenly folded up blanket or a block.
Reclined Bound Angle Pose / Supta Baddha Konasana
My all-time favorite pose. Place the soles of your feet together, knees wide. Lay on your back with your palms facing up and relax your entire body. Close your eyes and easily find surrender.
Modify: Place blocks underneath your knees.
Make this your intention this week. Surrender to each breath, each experience, each pose, each success, and each failure. Maybe surrender to the idea that you just created a blog with pictures and didn't bother to brush your hair first :)
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