The Art of Surrender
“Yin Yoga is not meant to be comfortable; it will take you well outside your comfort zone. Much of the benefit of the practice will come from staying in this zone of discomfort, despite the mind’s urgent pleas to leave.” – Bernie Clark
The idea that surrender is a losing proposition is a negative connotation that prevents people from harnessing its liberating benefits. The Art of Surrender is a spiritual concept in that reminds us that there is a higher energy that controls and feeds all the entities in the universe. When we worry and fret about occurrences, it is a sign that we have not truly surrendered in our actions to this higher energy. We humans tend to hold on to physical, emotional and mental baggage long after they have served their purpose. Our inability to let go of these entities often hinders a healthy connectedness and wholeness. To surrender is to release all the tensions and baggage that we have hoarded. To surrender is to let go and allow ourselves soften. This in turn, improves our general energy and emotional strength. The way to achieve harmony and peace through Yin yoga is to surrender one’s self to the ‘now’.
Yin yoga although similar to restorative Yoga in some aspects, but they differ in their understanding of the concept of surrender. Where restorative yoga helps you to surrender so as to find release and relaxation, Yin yoga provokes you to surrender to your discomfort and then hold yourself in this moment of discomfort for an elongated period of time. This is one of the reasons that beginners and even regular Yang yogis find it to be a rather difficult practice to sustain. By holding yourself in poses that are not naturally made in daily physical activity for extended periods of time, over time, you train your physical and inner self to find serenity and stillness in moments of unrest.
When we practice Yin yoga frequently, there is a lengthening and softening of our connective tissues and this helps in improving the flexibility of our deep tissues. When our deep tissues are flexible and limber, it helps to enhance our yang and more active practices because of the fluidity in the fascia. When the muscles are flexible, the likelihood of injury is reduced and through this enhancement, a yin yang balance is achieved. This softening also takes place in our meridians and chakras when our asanas particularly target their improvement. When we soften and surrender during this practice, it improves the places we mainly target for improvement. This softening also helps us to properly absorb the positive energy that we attract from surrendering.
Integrating the Practice: Savasana
Savasana is a resting pose in Yin yoga which is usually done to close of yoga practice. it can sometimes be done at the beginning or in the middle of practice but this is very rare. The Savasana contains little or no movement and it is deceptively difficult to maintain because we are used to stimulation and the feeling of sensation, so lying still while freeing the mind of active thought can get boring. With constant practice of integrating the Savasana, we get a better sync with ourselves and it is no longer a boring process but simply a state of being that brings you serenity.
The Savasana helps us to assimilate the benefits of the asanas that we have practiced. To come to a physiological relaxation with the savasana, it takes about twelve to fifteen minutes and this is just the first stage. Following that, we move into pratyahara. This is that profound state where we perceive sounds, experience the vibrations in our bodies, and take in smells in the atmosphere and so on. However, no external entity can penetrate our senses or upsets our serenity. As we deepen in pratyahara, we can savour the resolution of our minds into stillness, which is the designation of yoga.
Mindfulness and Breathwork.
Mindful breathing is in Bernadi’s study is said to have, “generally favourable effects on cardiovascular and respiratory function and increases respiratory sinus arrhythmia, the arterial baroreflex, oxygenation of the blood and exercise tolerance”.
Here is how the Yin side of breathing works. As you deepen into the pratyahara, opening your mouth, begin to make the sound of the ocean, counting to four as you inhale and pausing for one count. Count to four as you exhale and pause again for one count. This comes to a total of ten counts, equal to six breaths per minute. The idea is not to lengthen the breath but to be in full awareness of it so it is essential not to try to over achieve here. When in your Yin Yoga pose, try to foster mindfulness by focusing the majority of your concentration on inward breathing. Explore the Yin side of your breath by perceiving and appreciating what it feels like to breathe and notice every aspect of your breath without trying to significantly modify it. A slow ocean breath in yin yoga practice can reduce stress levels; improve the quality of your rest and digestive system. It can also improve the functioning of your lungs and heart and lower blood pressure. All this can ensure a healthy psychological and physiological self.
On a psychological level, Mindful breathing helps us to have better control of our emotions and gives us a healthy distance from our thoughts and feelings. The slow breathing process can aid in regulating our emotions. This can help us navigate our emotions properly in moments of discomfort rather than the discomfort overwhelming them. It helps us to be present in the moment instead of being distracted by mournful thoughts and past regrets.
Riding the wave of Meditation.
Inherently, we humans possess the ability to be mindful when we practice it on a daily level. This basic human ability to be present and fully aware of our actions is the pathway to a more fulfilling life. Research has shown that when we actively train to be mindful by bringing consciousness to what we directly experience, we can modify the physical structure of the brain. This practice of mindfulness is not an exotic one and its benefits can be harnessed by any physical being, regardless of age and indigene.
Some of the basic principles of mindfulness practice we can adopt in our meditation include the following:
- Set aside ample time for mindful meditation. You do not need special equipment or props for this.
- Find a comfortable spot to sit and notice of what your legs are doing.
- Take note what your upper body is doing and rest the palms of hands on your legs.
- You can close your eyes if it aids mindfulness better or gaze softly at what lies before you without making it a focal point.
- Attune yourself to the physical sensation of breath; the rising and falling of the belly and the feeling of air as it moves through the nose and mouth.
- Be cognisant of the present moment. Observe it and try to attain infinite stillness.
- Let go of judgements that may come to mind by discern them and then letting them roll away.
- Constantly return again and again, your observation to the present moment. This can be a difficult state to maintain because our minds tend to wander.
- Do not judge yourself for where your thoughts tend to stray to as this can hinder progress by causing you to be restless. Take a mental note of where your mind keeps wandering too. Accept it but don’t dwell on it.
- Gently lift your haze, taking a moment to notice any sounds in the environment and the sensation in your body.
Deepening Self-Awareness: the Key to Transformation.
Self awareness can help us gain a better understanding of how to live a wholesome and fulfilling life. When going on this journey of self awareness, it is imperative to fully immerse one’s self in the practices and motions that aid this. There are many benefits to becoming self aware as a self aware person is better equipped to face the challenges and strife of daily life. By cultivating mindfulness in Yin yoga practice and life generally, we can come to a deeper understanding of our true selves and find comfort and appreciation in it.
A deep knowledge of self fosters an independent spirit and helps in boosting our self esteem and confidence. Simply, a deep knowledge of self frees us. It stills the internal conflict that many feel on a day to day basis and kills self doubt. It also helps us develop more lasting and fulfilling relationships and it renews our sense of purpose. This blissful inner confidence comes from an active practice of Yin yoga and utilising mindfulness in the navigation of our daily occurrences.
Self observation and the Cultivation of Mindfulness.
Mindfulness and the practice of it has often been linked to self compassion, self acceptance and positive self consciousness. The cultivation of mindfulness can be in monumental in correcting negative perspectives of one’s self and transforming them to more positive and growth inducing ones. When we engage in mindful meditative practices over a period of time, we not only lengthen our connective tissues and make them flexible and fluid; we also make our mindset flexible and easily adapting to positivity. This is because practice of mindfulness in yin yoga slowly opens our physical selves to the notice of infiniteness and fluidity in every life form. It also opens our minds to healthy non attachment to things that are finitely bound, thereby making it easier for us to surrender.
Practical Tools for Cultivating Mindfulness
A great way to adopt mindfulness in our daily life is by interspersing it in our daily activities. Here, we are going to discuss some beneficial mindfulness and observation techniques. These techniques can help us to create a stronger relationship with ourselves, with other entities around us and with our primary life source. These techniques are simple but effective and they foster an interaction with infinite entities.
Some mindful exercises to practice are as follows:
- Mindful walking: we can take some minutes to do mindful walking and meditate as we do so. It is more effective to do this in places where nature abounds or in quiet serene places.
- Mindful Pauses: We can also take mindful meditative pauses within our day to just bask in stillness and just breath. Within hectic work or study sessions, we can take five to ten minutes to ourselves and find a quiet spot to meditate mindfully.
- Mindful Eating: While eating, we can practice mindfulness by being fully present and noticing the textures, the smells and unique taste of our food, noticing how it proceeds down our throat and how our body reacts to it.
- Mindful Listening: Another way is by listening to people mindfully, with the intention of understanding what they are saying rather than to just reply. This will also help in improving the quality of what we say when we eventually speak.
- Mindful Self Care/Hygiene: While brushing and bathing we can also practice mindfulness by attuning ourselves to the sensation of the water coursing down our body, noticing its temperature, perceiving the scents of our bath products and sensing the pressure our bath tools have on our body. We can also take notice of the feeling our toothbrush has against our teeth and tongue, the vibration and sound of it and the sensation that lingers as a result.
- Mindfulness of the Body: we can do this by routinely taking observance of what our body is doing as we are sitting still, walking or exercising. Visualising in our minds, the adjustments our body makes with each act of motion. We can further this by tensing and relaxing parts of our body and noticing the sensation it produces.
Transformation through Loving Kindness.
This is a mindful meditative practice that involves affirmation of self through use of words, sights and sensations. In this practice, affirmations and positive attractions are made through repetitive recitation of phrases that express our true intention. By doing this, we set the precedence for attaining fulfilment. With this as the foreground, all that we encounter and associate with will be fluid and effortless. This meditation can also be used to induce feelings of loving kindness and responsiveness towards other infinite entities around us..
To access the transformative qualities of practicing loving kindness, you can do the following:
- Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes for meditation in a quiet environment.
- Sit in a comfortable position. Let your body find rest and soften your heart.
- Breath inwardly, and as you inhale recite the following traditional phrases
- May I be filled with loving kindness
- May I be safe from inner and outer dangers
- May I be well in body and mind
- May I be at ease and happy
Visualise your present state of self and hold that image of yourself in a heart of loving kindness. You can create and tailor your own phrases to be specific to your intention for that practice. Practice this meditation over a long period of time to strengthen the feeling of loving kindness and find wholeness. This meditation can also be done for a loving companion, friend or benefactor. As you do this, let the image of this person or entity rest in a place of loving kindness in your heart. After about ten to fifteen minutes of recitation in the first person, you can alter it thus, saying:
- May you be filled with loving kindness
- May you be safe from inner and outer dangers
- May you be well in body and mind
- May you be at ease and happy
This meditative practice can sometimes feel awkward or forced but still keep at it, whether you feel it in the depths of your emotions at that particular moment or not. Keep planting the seed of loving kindness, keep repeating the phrases and with time it shall manifest.
The Art of Surrender
“Yin Yoga is not meant to be comfortable; it will take you well outside your comfort zone. Much of the benefit of the practice will come from staying in this zone of discomfort, despite the mind’s urgent pleas to leave.” – Bernie Clark
The idea that surrender is a losing proposition is a negative connotation that prevents people from harnessing its liberating benefits. The Art of Surrender is a spiritual concept in that reminds us that there is a higher energy that controls and feeds all the entities in the universe. When we worry and fret about occurrences, it is a sign that we have not truly surrendered in our actions to this higher energy. We humans tend to hold on to physical, emotional and mental baggage long after they have served their purpose. Our inability to let go of these entities often hinders a healthy connectedness and wholeness. To surrender is to release all the tensions and baggage that we have hoarded. To surrender is to let go and allow ourselves soften. This in turn, improves our general energy and emotional strength. The way to achieve harmony and peace through Yin yoga is to surrender one’s self to the ‘now’.
Yin yoga although similar to restorative Yoga in some aspects, but they differ in their understanding of the concept of surrender. Where restorative yoga helps you to surrender so as to find release and relaxation, Yin yoga provokes you to surrender to your discomfort and then hold yourself in this moment of discomfort for an elongated period of time. This is one of the reasons that beginners and even regular Yang yogis find it to be a rather difficult practice to sustain. By holding yourself in poses that are not naturally made in daily physical activity for extended periods of time, over time, you train your physical and inner self to find serenity and stillness in moments of unrest.
When we practice Yin yoga frequently, there is a lengthening and softening of our connective tissues and this helps in improving the flexibility of our deep tissues. When our deep tissues are flexible and limber, it helps to enhance our yang and more active practices because of the fluidity in the fascia. When the muscles are flexible, the likelihood of injury is reduced and through this enhancement, a yin yang balance is achieved. This softening also takes place in our meridians and chakras when our asanas particularly target their improvement. When we soften and surrender during this practice, it improves the places we mainly target for improvement. This softening also helps us to properly absorb the positive energy that we attract from surrendering.
Integrating the Practice: Savasana
Savasana is a resting pose in Yin yoga which is usually done to close of yoga practice. it can sometimes be done at the beginning or in the middle of practice but this is very rare. The Savasana contains little or no movement and it is deceptively difficult to maintain because we are used to stimulation and the feeling of sensation, so lying still while freeing the mind of active thought can get boring. With constant practice of integrating the Savasana, we get a better sync with ourselves and it is no longer a boring process but simply a state of being that brings you serenity.
The Savasana helps us to assimilate the benefits of the asanas that we have practiced. To come to a physiological relaxation with the savasana, it takes about twelve to fifteen minutes and this is just the first stage. Following that, we move into pratyahara. This is that profound state where we perceive sounds, experience the vibrations in our bodies, and take in smells in the atmosphere and so on. However, no external entity can penetrate our senses or upsets our serenity. As we deepen in pratyahara, we can savour the resolution of our minds into stillness, which is the designation of yoga.
Mindfulness and Breathwork.
Mindful breathing is in Bernadi’s study is said to have, “generally favourable effects on cardiovascular and respiratory function and increases respiratory sinus arrhythmia, the arterial baroreflex, oxygenation of the blood and exercise tolerance”.
Here is how the Yin side of breathing works. As you deepen into the pratyahara, opening your mouth, begin to make the sound of the ocean, counting to four as you inhale and pausing for one count. Count to four as you exhale and pause again for one count. This comes to a total of ten counts, equal to six breaths per minute. The idea is not to lengthen the breath but to be in full awareness of it so it is essential not to try to over achieve here. When in your Yin Yoga pose, try to foster mindfulness by focusing the majority of your concentration on inward breathing. Explore the Yin side of your breath by perceiving and appreciating what it feels like to breathe and notice every aspect of your breath without trying to significantly modify it. A slow ocean breath in yin yoga practice can reduce stress levels; improve the quality of your rest and digestive system. It can also improve the functioning of your lungs and heart and lower blood pressure. All this can ensure a healthy psychological and physiological self.
On a psychological level, Mindful breathing helps us to have better control of our emotions and gives us a healthy distance from our thoughts and feelings. The slow breathing process can aid in regulating our emotions. This can help us navigate our emotions properly in moments of discomfort rather than the discomfort overwhelming them. It helps us to be present in the moment instead of being distracted by mournful thoughts and past regrets.
Riding the wave of Meditation.
Inherently, we humans possess the ability to be mindful when we practice it on a daily level. This basic human ability to be present and fully aware of our actions is the pathway to a more fulfilling life. Research has shown that when we actively train to be mindful by bringing consciousness to what we directly experience, we can modify the physical structure of the brain. This practice of mindfulness is not an exotic one and its benefits can be harnessed by any physical being, regardless of age and indigene.
Some of the basic principles of mindfulness practice we can adopt in our meditation include the following:
- Set aside ample time for mindful meditation. You do not need special equipment or props for this.
- Find a comfortable spot to sit and notice of what your legs are doing.
- Take note what your upper body is doing and rest the palms of hands on your legs.
- You can close your eyes if it aids mindfulness better or gaze softly at what lies before you without making it a focal point.
- Attune yourself to the physical sensation of breath; the rising and falling of the belly and the feeling of air as it moves through the nose and mouth.
- Be cognisant of the present moment. Observe it and try to attain infinite stillness.
- Let go of judgements that may come to mind by discern them and then letting them roll away.
- Constantly return again and again, your observation to the present moment. This can be a difficult state to maintain because our minds tend to wander.
- Do not judge yourself for where your thoughts tend to stray to as this can hinder progress by causing you to be restless. Take a mental note of where your mind keeps wandering too. Accept it but don’t dwell on it.
- Gently lift your haze, taking a moment to notice any sounds in the environment and the sensation in your body.
Deepening Self-Awareness: the Key to Transformation.
Self awareness can help us gain a better understanding of how to live a wholesome and fulfilling life. When going on this journey of self awareness, it is imperative to fully immerse one’s self in the practices and motions that aid this. There are many benefits to becoming self aware as a self aware person is better equipped to face the challenges and strife of daily life. By cultivating mindfulness in Yin yoga practice and life generally, we can come to a deeper understanding of our true selves and find comfort and appreciation in it.
A deep knowledge of self fosters an independent spirit and helps in boosting our self esteem and confidence. Simply, a deep knowledge of self frees us. It stills the internal conflict that many feel on a day to day basis and kills self doubt. It also helps us develop more lasting and fulfilling relationships and it renews our sense of purpose. This blissful inner confidence comes from an active practice of Yin yoga and utilising mindfulness in the navigation of our daily occurrences.
Self observation and the Cultivation of Mindfulness.
Mindfulness and the practice of it has often been linked to self compassion, self acceptance and positive self consciousness. The cultivation of mindfulness can be in monumental in correcting negative perspectives of one’s self and transforming them to more positive and growth inducing ones. When we engage in mindful meditative practices over a period of time, we not only lengthen our connective tissues and make them flexible and fluid; we also make our mindset flexible and easily adapting to positivity. This is because practice of mindfulness in yin yoga slowly opens our physical selves to the notice of infiniteness and fluidity in every life form. It also opens our minds to healthy non attachment to things that are finitely bound, thereby making it easier for us to surrender.
Practical Tools for Cultivating Mindfulness
A great way to adopt mindfulness in our daily life is by interspersing it in our daily activities. Here, we are going to discuss some beneficial mindfulness and observation techniques. These techniques can help us to create a stronger relationship with ourselves, with other entities around us and with our primary life source. These techniques are simple but effective and they foster an interaction with infinite entities.
Some mindful exercises to practice are as follows:
- Mindful walking: we can take some minutes to do mindful walking and meditate as we do so. It is more effective to do this in places where nature abounds or in quiet serene places.
- Mindful Pauses: We can also take mindful meditative pauses within our day to just bask in stillness and just breath. Within hectic work or study sessions, we can take five to ten minutes to ourselves and find a quiet spot to meditate mindfully.
- Mindful Eating: While eating, we can practice mindfulness by being fully present and noticing the textures, the smells and unique taste of our food, noticing how it proceeds down our throat and how our body reacts to it.
- Mindful Listening: Another way is by listening to people mindfully, with the intention of understanding what they are saying rather than to just reply. This will also help in improving the quality of what we say when we eventually speak.
- Mindful Self Care/Hygiene: While brushing and bathing we can also practice mindfulness by attuning ourselves to the sensation of the water coursing down our body, noticing its temperature, perceiving the scents of our bath products and sensing the pressure our bath tools have on our body. We can also take notice of the feeling our toothbrush has against our teeth and tongue, the vibration and sound of it and the sensation that lingers as a result.
- Mindfulness of the Body: we can do this by routinely taking observance of what our body is doing as we are sitting still, walking or exercising. Visualising in our minds, the adjustments our body makes with each act of motion. We can further this by tensing and relaxing parts of our body and noticing the sensation it produces.
Transformation through Loving Kindness.
This is a mindful meditative practice that involves affirmation of self through use of words, sights and sensations. In this practice, affirmations and positive attractions are made through repetitive recitation of phrases that express our true intention. By doing this, we set the precedence for attaining fulfilment. With this as the foreground, all that we encounter and associate with will be fluid and effortless. This meditation can also be used to induce feelings of loving kindness and responsiveness towards other infinite entities around us..
To access the transformative qualities of practicing loving kindness, you can do the following:
- Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes for meditation in a quiet environment.
- Sit in a comfortable position. Let your body find rest and soften your heart.
- Breath inwardly, and as you inhale recite the following traditional phrases
- May I be filled with loving kindness
- May I be safe from inner and outer dangers
- May I be well in body and mind
- May I be at ease and happy
Visualise your present state of self and hold that image of yourself in a heart of loving kindness. You can create and tailor your own phrases to be specific to your intention for that practice. Practice this meditation over a long period of time to strengthen the feeling of loving kindness and find wholeness. This meditation can also be done for a loving companion, friend or benefactor. As you do this, let the image of this person or entity rest in a place of loving kindness in your heart. After about ten to fifteen minutes of recitation in the first person, you can alter it thus, saying:
- May you be filled with loving kindness
- May you be safe from inner and outer dangers
- May you be well in body and mind
- May you be at ease and happy
This meditative practice can sometimes feel awkward or forced but still keep at it, whether you feel it in the depths of your emotions at that particular moment or not. Keep planting the seed of loving kindness, keep repeating the phrases and with time it shall manifest.
