4/23/26 Live Session Recording

I missed the first hour of class this past week so I'm sharing a reflection prompts, mostly my own thoughts instead of what people said in the video, although a lot of that also resonated with me. To me surrender is a difficult concept because it can often be used as an excuse for inaction or feigned powerlessness, when in fact people can and do have (some) influence on the world around them, and the ruling class stays in power partly by perpetuating the idea that there is, to paraphrase Mar*** Th*tche*, "no alternative". I think that this philosophic principle needs to be inflected with satya and a sense of intuition and insight, there are situations when surrender is the only path available, and acceptance is a really powerful tool, especially for people suffering the after effects of trauma, or just the general human condition. It is sometimes said that the difference between pain and suffering is acceptance, and there are many traditions including in the recovery field (namely AA/NA) that make acceptance a cornerstone of their practice.

On the mat, in the past few months I have noticed a feeling that I think can best be described as a surrendering, especially when I'm just laying down or in child's pose, as I'm surrendering into the post. It feels very nice, sometimes emotional, but I think a lot of my early practice was around struggle, so it's nice to be able to surrender.

For me, surrendering required learning the difference between that, and giving in/up. Because we are not taught to surrender, it is difficult to learn exactly how to create that later on in life. It looks different for each of us and can be a big learning curve. 

It has taken years of work in my own practice, adapting sequences that create calm and peace in my body, so that I can better understand what it takes to create that for others. For years I was more focused on the asana, physical practice end it didn’t really feel authentic. As soon as I learned and included more somatic movements and breath work to classes, it changed everything about I taught. 

Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender):
It landed as a reminder to release control and trust the process rather than forcing outcomes. In practice, surrender looks like softening effort, accepting where I am that day, and letting go of expectations, both on the mat and in daily situations I can’t control.

Movement demonstration:
It raised questions about accessibility and pacing, who might struggle with this and why. I’d adapt by offering options (e.g., props, range-of-motion variations, slower transitions) and focusing on choice, so different populations can engage safely and at their own level.

Jen, when you said "I find it very difficult to find total bliss in a fuckass world that is harming everyone,"...I felt that. I also really resonated with many classmate's sentiments that strength and surrender can feel at odds sometimes. This recording came during a great week for me, as I'm trying to let go of my internal assumptions that to surrender means to give up or accept that you are not enough. I quit a job that I care deeply about yesterday—one that was such a huge part of my identity and growth—but I have been realizing that continuing to be in this environment has been harming me in an unsustainable way due to larger forces outside of my control. I also needed to recognize that my needs have changed and that I was attaching myself to a version of myself and of the work that it no longer was. It was so difficult to make this decision, and there was so much grief, but once I allowed myself to surrender to the universe, step back, and let go, I was able to feel less attached and really see both my own truth and the greater truth of my situation. 

During the movement practice, I did notice myself overthinking a lot, coming at it from a perspective of trying to anticipate how every hypothetical person I am facilitating for might receive each movement, beyond the point of what I would consider useful. I think this instinct be a good practice in empathy and gaining insight about other perspectives, to a point, but it can also take you out of the present moment and I wonder if I couldn't approach learning from a more "surrendered" place. 

It becomes more apparent that with these classes, you can plan all you want but it's more important to be able to 'read the room'. When you arrive. You need to be able to think quick. Work out if the class should use chairs or the mats. Read the room first then work out, based on the blue print I know, what to teach that given day. 

I'm over thinking the chair vs mat options. Practice both and become competent with both. 

To me surrender is peace. It's not fighting situations I can't control, but also surrendering to who I really am and letting myself be that without having to conform or change depending on where I am or who I'm around. It doesn't mean being helpless or powerless, but it takes a little faith that things are working out as they should even when I don't quite like the situation. It's also acknowledging my power, strength and voice to contribute to change if something is unjust or unfair. Surrender is going with the flow, but also knowing I have agency and choice. 

Jen, I really appreciated your thoughts on reconciling the abrasive, people-pleasing need to "get over things" like the cruelty of the world and the yoga- and trauma-centered view of surrender. As a foster parent, there is so much that goes on in the lives of my home that are beyond control. Rather than grinning and bearing it all, creating a home where we surrender to the lack of control and align ourselves with intention, purpose, joy, and healing; is powerful. It's certainly a practice and can be easier said than done. I personally appreciate the approach of surrender being a connection and alignment with myself AS IS. I was raised in a world where if you aren't improving every step of the way, you're going backwards. It has been radical for me to surrender that need for constant "betterment." I also appreciated how this idea of surrender was tied to embodied awareness. 

I really liked this lesson on surrender and truly thinking about what comes up for me when I think of surrendering. The recording and the reading made me think deeper on why it is so difficult to surrender to myself. And upon reflection I think it is truly because I don’t trust myself fully yet because of the narrative that was told to be so frequently growing up. It truly made me think of a world where I fully surrendered to myself and to my gut instincts and how freeing that would feel. Still a work on progress, but getting there! As always thank you for a great lesson! 

• How did the discussion of Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender) land for you? What does surrender or letting go look like in your practice or daily life?

  • i really appreciate the ideas for different synonyms for ishvara pranidhana--it really helps with understanding how it applies in a larger scope, and how everyone may have a different doorway into the relationship with the practice--
  • love these perspectives of surrendering to self, and "what barriers are preventing me from doing so"--bringing awareness to the external vs internal I feel is such a powerful perspective shift-it helps to really bring empowerment to self by dividing the difference between what's in our personal control, when the chaos of the world can feel overwhelming and cause us to feel disempowered. The inquiries here and comparing the gita's battlefield/ to an internal/external battlefield reminds me of the discussion on santosha/contentment regarding how we must be able to find contentment within to show up fully in the external.
  • with all this in mind, it does take strength to surrender "to exactly who you are", and it feels resonant comparing it to the gita--of surrendering to one's truth--when Jen said "where do you cause harm to your own experience by not surrendering to exactly who you are"-the discomfort of resisting this surrendering can cause more harm than living from a place of listening to who you are and allowing that to be the guide of how we take action from an aligned place. For me in life, the "steadiness + ease" has been about acceptance of all that is/the unknown, that is out of my control, and in that acceptance, it allows me to relax and let go, in the knowing that I am only in control of me, and like all these practices, it's an ongoing journey of reflection and checking in as everything is always evolving.
  • the way Jen points at how trauma, our experiences, and the external can contribute to the ways we then create barriers for ourselves reminds me of the ideas shared in "the four agreements" book about how we can unintentionally inherit the world's views until we can realize and bring awareness to this and how it can cause us suffering because we are living from the "planet's dreams" instead of our own individual truths-- pg 13-16 of the four agreements
  • embodied awareness: safety and foundation first:

    • this reminds me of how my living situation was affecting me with not feeling like a had a solid foundation-I was living in a space that was not supporting my needs, and now that i am in a space that feels more supportive, it's been a huge shift in my healing and nervous system, and is having a ripple effect in many ways.
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• What thoughts or questions came up for you during the movement demonstration? How might you adapt or approach a sequence like this for the populations you serve or hope to serve?

  • I loved the way Jen's language, cues, and variation options created a space with a theme throughout the practice of embodying steadiness and ease 🙂 -- this is something I will definitely take with me -- sharing inquiries of appreciation for our strength and how our bodies are working in each pose, and weaving that into different poses, inviting mindfulness by noticing the differences in how our muscles are working compared to previous poses, and towards the ending of the practice, acknowledging the work and strength of our bodies during the practice we just did. what a beautiful way to integrate ishvara pranidhana into the physical practice <3