Religion, Love & Isvara Pranidhana

 

 

Faith is a tricky word and an even trickier concept. To put something so deep & meaningful into words, let alone into practice can take years or even decades.

Faith is a word that is deeper than hope, more than religion and more intense than a commitment. It has vast meanings and endless possibilities. Just like yoga, it is unique to you & close to indescribable.

The closest I can come to describing my lifestyle, my yoga, my love & my God is with the expression Isvara Pranidhana. It is a sanskrit expression embedded within the yoga sutras, meaning surrender to God {or letting go to the way of the universe}. It is the idea that everything will work out the way that it should.

As a young girl, I grew up Christian. I have a very deep commitment to my church and have an interconnected church family. I dreamed of marrying the man of my dreams at the altar and did so just shy of two years ago.

I always had faith, a deep faith that everything would work out the way that it should and that I was on a path. In college, I took a Judaic studies course and loved learning about another religion and another culture. I then began to ask everyone about their backgrounds and became interested in learning as much as I was able. It’s so interesting to learn where everyone comes from, and what the base of their belief system is and where it stems from. Culture, just like linguistics is one of my favorite subjects!

In the coming years, I discovered yoga! As I’ve mentioned before, yoga is NOT a religion but it is spiritual. It only enhanced my own faith and made me feel closer and more connected. Once I met my husband, my mother in law took me to temple. I loved learning about the hindu Gods and I am always asking questions. My in-laws provide me with as much as they are able, and I love every single moment of it!

When my husband and I decided to get married, we had a chat with my minister. My husband has a beautiful melting pot of religions in his background, including Catholicism, Hinduism and more! As we were talking to my minister, we asked him about the blending of cultures and raising our future children. His response was beautiful & encouraging: “As I observe, almost all religions point UP!” His message to us was to continue living a good life, and looking “up” while blending however we saw fit.

And we have. In my daily life I have yoga & meditation. On Sundays (if I’m able) I’m at church. If I cannot make it to church, I find nature or breath… but I always come back to my faith. My personal mantra: Isvara Pranidhana.

Almost two weeks ago, I took my commitment a little bit deeper. I decided to make my commitment a permanent and open reminder for not only myself but for others to see. As I mentioned, it is so difficult to put your faith into words…. but I’ve tried and I will always keep trying to live a good, positive and loving life.

My surprise is my latest addition.

Isvara Pranidhana tattooed on my right forearm. A constant reminder of practice, breath, faith & love.

 

 

 

One of the main intentions and purposes in my life, is to provide happiness, light & love to the world: to YOU! I’ve often heard that “Tattoos have power and magic all on their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul.” – {Michelle Delio} This beautiful message resonates quite deeply with me. It took me years to finally come to this decision and take that leap of faith. I couldn’t be happier to have jumped because I know I have been caught & embraced! THIS is my biggest expression of self-love and I’m so excited to have you on this journey with me!

I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Do you have any tattoos with a deep and significant meaning? Or perhaps a story and a love of your own faith and your own unique path. Please leave it in the comments below, as I’d love to learn more about YOUR story.

Get out there – do yoga — EXPRESS YOURSELF & make life sparkle
JAI MA!!
Jenny