Om is the most sacred mantra in the universe and reflects the vibrations of the universe, that everything is constantly moving. This month we are explaining Om and giving people a deeper reason to practice chanting it. Oming allows us to observe, surrender ourselves and participate in the vibrations that connect everything.
These vibrations that connect us to the universe allow you to surrender your outer layers of ego and observe the power in silence. surrender in this context is about letting go to something outside of yourself. For some very strong ego personalities this may mean that you surrender your ego to your highest self. That's great, begin there.
But, then, what if you considered relinquishing control to life that is outside of you? That's where the real work of this philosophy happens. Take baby steps and begin watering the seeds of this relationship. No matter what you call it, this is the principle goal of yoga. And, what if instead of calling it a goal, something with defined expectations, we exposed a natural yearning? A yearning for surrender internally then externally?
Participate in the vibrations, surrendering your ego by oming:
The sound fades into nothing. This silence, Turiya, is absolute.
In Yoga Sutra 1.23, Patanjali gives us a sure-fire way to reach the state of yoga. It is a practice called Ishvara Pranidhana. Ishvara is a Sanskrit word that can be translated to mean supreme, or personal, God. Pranidhana means to dedicate, devote, or surrender. The practice of Ishvara Pranidhana therefore means that if we are able to completely surrender our individual ego identities to God (our own higher self); if we can dedicate our lives to serving the God that dwells within all other beings, human and non-human alike; we will move beyond all feelings of separateness. If we can say without reservation: "I give You myself: my body, my mind and my heart, to do with as You best see fit," then we will be freed from the stress, anxiety, self-doubt and negative karma that arises from our reliance upon our egos to determine which actions we take in our lives.
Ishavara Pranidhana is the practice of less action. It is the practice of being and seeing. What unfolds, what flows. It asks that you connect within and without to find the trust and belief that Life itself supports all your choices, events and obstacles.
How does this word, God, sit with you? What does it bring up and why? Yoga is the path of discovery, allow yourself to acknowledge where the resistance is coming from and why. You don't have to use the word God. What if you changed the word to something that was more comfortable? Love, Universe, Source, or Earth? As you know yoga is about stepping out of your comfort zone. It doesn't have to be for you, but surrender in this context is about letting go to something outside of yourself.
Within a yoga class, there are many ways to practice Ishvara Pranidhana, and cultivate our ability and willingness to surrender. By continuously offering up our efforts and rewards to something more than just personal gain, we are able to keep Ishvara (our own personal form of God) in the forefront of our minds. By putting aside our judgments and criticisms, and following the instructions given to us in class, we learn to more easily take cue from something other than the ego. With each forward bending posture, we bow down to God in some form that has meaning to us, and with each back-bending posture, we offer up our hearts, so that we may carry out the will of the universe with every thought, word and action we take.
But, then, what if you considered relinquishing control to life that is outside of you? That's where the real work of this philosophy happens. Take baby steps and begin watering the seeds of this relationship. No matter what you call it, this is the principle goal of yoga. And, what if instead of calling it a goal, something with defined expectations, we exposed a natural yearning? A yearning for surrender internally then externally?
Participate in the vibrations, surrendering your ego by oming:
A - pronounced AHHHHHH, the sound is made in the back of the throat, lips and jaw relaxed, tongue drops and it vibrates in the belly/navel. It represents earth, birth, creation, Brahma.
Experiment: Put your hand on lower belly and chant ahhhh can you feel the vibration.
U - pronounced as OOOOOO, the sound is made in the mouth. The vibration is felt in the heart which represents the present moment, now, all of life itself, Vishnu.
Experiment: put your hand on heart and chant oooooo
M - pronounced MMMMM, the sound is made with the lips and tongue to roof of mouth and it vibrates at the top of the head. It represents heaven, death, Shiva.
Experiment: Put hand on top of head and chant mmmmmm
The sound fades into nothing. This silence, Turiya, is absolute.
Om is the imperishable word. Om is the universe, and this is the exposition of Om. The past, the present and the future, all that was, all that is, all that will be is om. Likewise all else that may exist beyond the bounds of time, that too is om.--Mandukya Upanishad
In Yoga Sutra 1.23, Patanjali gives us a sure-fire way to reach the state of yoga. It is a practice called Ishvara Pranidhana. Ishvara is a Sanskrit word that can be translated to mean supreme, or personal, God. Pranidhana means to dedicate, devote, or surrender. The practice of Ishvara Pranidhana therefore means that if we are able to completely surrender our individual ego identities to God (our own higher self); if we can dedicate our lives to serving the God that dwells within all other beings, human and non-human alike; we will move beyond all feelings of separateness. If we can say without reservation: "I give You myself: my body, my mind and my heart, to do with as You best see fit," then we will be freed from the stress, anxiety, self-doubt and negative karma that arises from our reliance upon our egos to determine which actions we take in our lives.
Ishavara Pranidhana is the practice of less action. It is the practice of being and seeing. What unfolds, what flows. It asks that you connect within and without to find the trust and belief that Life itself supports all your choices, events and obstacles.
How does this word, God, sit with you? What does it bring up and why? Yoga is the path of discovery, allow yourself to acknowledge where the resistance is coming from and why. You don't have to use the word God. What if you changed the word to something that was more comfortable? Love, Universe, Source, or Earth? As you know yoga is about stepping out of your comfort zone. It doesn't have to be for you, but surrender in this context is about letting go to something outside of yourself.
Within a yoga class, there are many ways to practice Ishvara Pranidhana, and cultivate our ability and willingness to surrender. By continuously offering up our efforts and rewards to something more than just personal gain, we are able to keep Ishvara (our own personal form of God) in the forefront of our minds. By putting aside our judgments and criticisms, and following the instructions given to us in class, we learn to more easily take cue from something other than the ego. With each forward bending posture, we bow down to God in some form that has meaning to us, and with each back-bending posture, we offer up our hearts, so that we may carry out the will of the universe with every thought, word and action we take.
Contemplate daily the Supreme attributes of Ishvara as you meditate and offer yourself completely as a vehicle for Divine Will. Peace comes when we relinquish the idea that we are the "doer" and allow the infinite to guide us on our way. Let go, and let God lead.
God is the representation of Life, Earth, universe, Energy, Source, Divinity. God is Om.
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