Real Power

Real power:

it’s the last niyama, Isvara Pranidhana, and it urges our surrender, asking us to recognize that we belong fully to something larger than ourselves alone, allowing the deep intimacy of reality to take over the true function of our lives. That’s a lot to ask for, placing our trust in mystery, giving away the only sense of real power that we seem to have — and all for the sake of yoga? Most of us balk at this idea, I certainly did, especially as I dove into yoga with a passion to discover for myself what real power I might have, not to be controlled by any concept of a god, but to be liberated from all concepts once and for all. Yet what I’ve discovered since is the real power of surrender, that only by giving everything away, all of my beliefs and concepts of power, do I gain any measure of liberation, the true freedom of knowing I control absolutely nothing at all…

that I’m already surrendered.

and have no power of my own.

of course this flies in the face of all we’re ever taught to believe in, even the Judeo-Christian sense of God is one that grants us free-will and the ability to control our lives. From early on we’re indoctrinated with the belief that we’re in charge of every aspect of life, from health to career, marriage and children, all of it, gaining praise and taking fault for every success and failures.