Surrendering to Allow Change

I'm a gatherer of information... I always have been. So as I continue to expand my knowledge on Yoga as a whole I am searching for information on different types of yoga. As I enter the new year I am reading information to decide what branch of Yoga to study. During my search I ran across a book called "Yoga from the Inside Out: Making Peace with your Body" by Christina Sell. She describes her childhood as troubled and has a very driven nature. Within the first couple of pages in the book she hits on a huge point for Westerners: Surrender.

"... I was aware that there was not even a story line connected to the emotions at all. My body was simply releasing stored feelings. I continued to stay in the pose, following my breath and taking instruction from my teacher. Before leaving the workshop that evening, my teacher told me to not be afraid as I would go through changes. He said, 'You know, your challenge has never been strength or your willingness to work hard. You are good at those things. What you need to do now is surrender.'"

I notice the stored tension in people all around me in the workplace. People are fighting themselves from the inside - out! I see hunched shoulders, bad backs, sore necks, headaches, jaw clenching... the list goes on and on. Culturally we are taught not to show outbursts of emotions and/or feelings. As children we are taught that our outbursts are wrong or bad in some way. When, in fact, children are doing what our animalistic instinct tells us to do - release tension when the tension was there in that moment. Instead we push it inside of us and figure we'll deal with the hurt, defeat, pain, or suffering somehow.

A couple of years back I had two cats. One cat was older and calm, almost regal. The other was a kitten, full of spitfire and spunk. The kitten would stalk the older cat and jump out to attack him on countless occasions during the day. Although funny to watch, the older cat didn't enjoy it as much as I did, or the kitten. Of course this was all good and fun to the kitten. Each time the kitten pounced the older cat would let him have his fun, understanding the routine. Once the "attack" was over the older cat would simply get up and shake it off from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. Then calmly walk away.

Animals release energy under stressful situations in that moment. Animals do not instinctually store tension. If you watch two ducks in a pond arguing at each other at the end they will flap their wings to release the tension. Imagine; a business setting two executives in a heated discussion in a filled conference room. Then, after the discussion, shaking or flapping his/her wings to release the tension? Culturally, there is etiquette and a time and place for the release of tension. What humans have over animals is CHOICE. The option to choose a reaction or action in a situation. There are tools we have to help control our reactions.

The Yoga Asanas are an excellent tool to release stored tension. Our bodies were made to be flexible and limber. Heck, babies do a form of asana without even realizing it! Yet the majority of Westerners are stiff and knotted - fighting ourselves from within. I often hear, "I'm too inflexible for yoga" and "I can't do yoga! I can't touch my toes if you paid me!" If we change the thinking about our "inflexibility" to having "stored tension in the body," we can begin to focus on that during a pose and, with our breath, surrender and stop fighting ourselves. We do not need to flap our arms or shake from nose to tail... simply breathe and focus on the stored tension to surrender to it.

One of the purposes of Yoga is to allow... allow the pose to happen... allow the energy to build and the body heat up... allow the body to cool and rest. The first "rule" of yoga is Ahimsa; non-violence, inflicting no injury or harm to others or to the self. This goes as far as non-violence in thought, word, and action. Practicing surrender in our Asana allows us to move beyond the mat and utilize the practice in real-world situations... surrendering into a situation and accepting what is. Once we accept what is we have the choice of action. Following Ahimsa, our action would be mindful and, even within our thoughts, compassionate.

This takes practice... which brings us back to our mat. Within this circle there is a surrender to the process. Change will come as we allow the surrender to happen.