{"id":23606,"date":"2021-01-31T22:25:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-31T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/31\/the-practice-of-yoga-austerity-self-study-and-surrender-to-a-higher-power\/"},"modified":"2021-01-31T22:25:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T22:25:00","slug":"the-practice-of-yoga-austerity-self-study-and-surrender-to-a-higher-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/31\/the-practice-of-yoga-austerity-self-study-and-surrender-to-a-higher-power\/","title":{"rendered":"The Practice of Yoga: Austerity, Self-Study and Surrender to a Higher Power"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In chapter 2 of Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras, we learn about the practice of yoga. More specifically, how<\/em> to practice. The first sutra in this section introduces three important disciplines from the niyamas<\/a> that strengthen our ability to deepen our practice.<\/p>\n

Sutra 2.1 says: Austerity, the study of sacred texts, and the dedication of action to God constitute the discipline of Mystic Union.<\/em> (from sacredtexts.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Later in this chapter, more details about the practice of yoga emerge. But first, Patanjali concentrates on the foundation we can build with three practices: tapas<\/a> (using challenges as opportunities for growth), svadhyaya<\/a> (self-study), and ishwara pranidhana<\/a> (surrender to a higher power).<\/p>\n

According to Reverend Jaganath Carrera, we can use tapas to transform pain. Yoga is a means for understanding and transforming struggles and challenges we face in life.<\/p>\n

The Practice of Yoga Helps Us Overcome Suffering<\/strong><\/h3>\n

All spiritual disciplines agree that suffering is part of life. In yoga, we learn that spiritual practice is not about living without pain or suffering. Instead, we seek to transform <\/em>pain and suffering. Tapas is the fire of self-discipline that moves us past pain and transforms suffering.<\/p>\n

Once we light that fire, we can begin our study (svadhyaya). Svadhyaya, the process of self-discovery, often includes studying sacred texts. It is a lifelong process through which we strip away layers of illusion as we come to know our true selves.<\/p>\n

Once we recognize our true nature, we realize we\u2019ll never have all the answers, and we are not always in control. We begin to understand our connection to something greater and trust that we can surrender control to that higher power. This practice of surrender is known as ishwara prandihana.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at these three disciplines\u2014tapas, svadhyaya, and ishwara prandihana\u2014in a bit more detail.<\/p>\n

Fueling The Practice of Yoga<\/strong> With Tapas<\/h3>\n

Have you ever felt your enthusiasm for your yoga practice waning? Even \u201cadvanced\u201d yogis (or spiritual seekers of any discipline for that matter) feel ambivalent from time to time. Tapas is the desire we need to begin\u2014or continue\u2014the practice of yoga.<\/p>\n

When we approach a new pose or study a new aspect of yoga philosophy, we may hesitate. What if we can\u2019t do the pose? What if the teachings are too difficult to understand or apply to our lives? <\/p>\n

If we recognize and accept the challenge\u2014if we engage tapas\u2014we can begin.<\/p>\n

To understand the practice of tapas better, think of a challenging pose you\u2019ve begun to learn. Sometimes it doesn\u2019t feel good to attempt the pose. But we grow from the challenge and may even need to break down before we can move forward. <\/p>\n

Just as muscles break down before they get stronger, taking any aspect of our spiritual practice further may require some pain\u2014the burn of tapas. The good news, is the pain subsides, and we can settle into the practice of yoga with renewed energy.<\/p>\n

Svadhyaya: Self-Study<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Traditionally, svadhaya is the study of sacred texts as well as applying the teachings in the texts to our daily lives. Self-observation and self-reflection are important when we practice svadhyaya. Awareness helps us see how the teachings affect us and where we may need to apply them.<\/p>\n

As we begin to learn more about ourselves, we can modify our behavior. We can strengthen our inner lives by letting go of habits that aren\u2019t working and building new ones that do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ishvara Prandihana: Surrender to a Higher Power<\/strong><\/h3>\n

At some point in our spiritual growth, we begin to understand that we will never know everything. More importantly, we realize that we don\u2019t need to. We can surrender to a higher power, the wisdom of the universe that is always in control. We can live for something greater than our individual selves.<\/p>\n

Ishavara prandihana\u2014surrender to a higher power\u2014unlocks the door to enlightenment. It connects us to source. That, in a nutshell, is the goal of yoga.<\/p>\n

The post The Practice of Yoga: Austerity, Self-Study and Surrender to a Higher Power<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Circles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In chapter 2 of Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras, we learn about the practice of yoga. More specifically, how to practice. The first sutra in this section introduces three important disciplines from the niyamas that strengthen our ability to deepen our practice. Sutra 2.1 says: Austerity, the study of sacred texts, and the dedication of action to … [Read more…]
\nThe post The Practice of Yoga: Austerity, Self-Study and Surrender to a Higher Power appeared first on Yoga Circles.Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In chapter 2 of Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras, we learn about the practice of yoga. More specifically, how to practice. The first sutra in this section introduces three important disciplines from the niyamas that strengthen our ability to deepen our practice. Sutra 2.1 says: Austerity, the study of sacred texts, and the dedication of action to God constitute the discipline of Mystic Union. (from sacredtexts.com) Later in this chapter, more details about the practice of yoga emerge. But first, Patanjali concentrates on the foundation we can build with three practices: tapas (using challenges as opportunities for growth), svadhyaya (self-study), and ishwara pranidhana (surrender to a higher power). According to Reverend Jaganath Carrera, we can use tapas to transform pain. Yoga is a means for understanding and transforming struggles and challenges we face in life. The Practice of Yoga Helps Us Overcome Suffering All spiritual disciplines agree that suffering is part of life. In yoga, we learn that spiritual practice is not about living without pain or suffering. Instead, we seek to transform pain and suffering. Tapas is the fire of self-discipline that moves us past pain and transforms suffering. Once we light that fire, we can begin our study (svadhyaya). Svadhyaya,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[91],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23606"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}