Yoga Sutra 2.1
Commit your attention and take action, increase your knowledge and understanding through this awareness, and then surrender.
This is the wisdom of Patanjali’s Sutra 2.1: tapah svadhyaya ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yogah
This means...
Commit (tapas) — Show up with your attention every day, whether it's on the mat, the cushion, in your relationships, to yourself, in the moment. This is devotion. It's the action behind intention. It's also love (courtesy of Mary Oliver, If you love something, you pay attention to it).
Awareness (svadhyaya) — is learning from the information you get, it's honesty and realism, it's reflecting on yourself (your Self). Personal responsibility. Evolution.
Surrender (ishvarapranidhana) — (which can be a loaded word, so you might try yield or release) is letting go of the fruits of your actions. Doing the work (committing attention, action and awareness), then setting it free. It’s not personal. It’s not really even about you. Surrender is drenched in compassion.
The cocktail of these three qualities is the practice of Yoga. It is not linear, it's simple but not easy, and it is never ever "done."
Awareness, action, surrender.
And since there's no right way, there's no wrong way either! This is good news.
Michelle Marlahan
Where Self Care becomes Soul Care
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