The Art of Surrender
Are you an intelligent woman who sets goals for your career and personal life? Are you determined to work towards achieving your aims? And are you envisioning your birthing and raising children? The (masculine) energy used achieve career goals can conflict with the (feminine) energy required during pregnancy and birth.
It’s no secret that motherhood is a balancing act…that begins even before birth.
If you’re like a lot my clients who are professional superstars and are transitioning into the sacred period of pregnancy and preparing for motherhood, it’s time to learn the art of surrender.
What does that mean?
Unlike lying on the couch watching Netflix, the act of surrendering is a conscious choice to be fully present, accepting of “what is”, physically, mentally or emotionally. Surrender in action is a letting go of control.
Surrender is only possible when there’s a trust in ourselves and the process of life that is much greater than our resistance and our fear.
That’s why yoga is an extraordinary practice for birth and motherhood. A woman learns how to balance her strength with her softness while cultivating resilience and awareness. It’s not surprising that savasana, final resting pose, is considered the most challenging posture. On the one hand, it requires action: organizing the body, choosing to relax and allowing the mind to quiet. Ultimately, savasana is a letting go of all the doing in order to be, fully present.
Consider a woman who’s in labor. Imagine she’s thinking about how much pain she’s in and her body is tense. Try to guess how that might go. Now imagine she’s breathing with awareness and swaying her body from side-to-side thinking about how every contraction brings her closer to meeting her baby. It’s obvious which scenario less stressful, right?
Learning to surrender is a practice.
For most of us, it isn’t easy. The good news is-the more we practice, the easier is becomes to move into that state.
To let go of resistance and surrender, try this:
Practice a single restorative pose for 5-10 minutes/day for the next week.
1. Choose badha konasana, calves on the chair seat, legs up the wall or savasana, to name a few.
2. Challenge yourself to be in the experience for the time duration you set. Know that your body will likely protest by fidgeting and your mind will race and chatter “Hey, what’s for dinner?”
3. Train for motherhood by surrendering and learn presence, patience and tenacity.
Imagine how this practice will prepare you to move through the most challenging part of labor, the ring of fire, or motherhood, the toddler or teen tantrums. From a state of relaxation and calm, you'll be equipped to smile and appreciate yourself during challenging moments.
When I recently slipped on ice and broke my wrist, the need to surrender became clear . Putting toothpaste on my toothbrush became a pattern interrupt, beneficial for my brain while folding laundry became the ultimate meditative practice.
The more we practice surrendering, the easier it becomes.
Give it a try. Let me know how it goes.