As we notice the changing colors of plants and the softer, lower light of the sun in Autumn, we see there is beauty in letting go. Plants let go of active growth as they shut down the process of producing and drop their seeds into the earth where they will rest dormant through the winter darkness and gather resources to strive again for the light in the spring.

Honor your instincts to let go and slow down as you tune in to the natural world; surrender to the life force or ultimate reality that is the source of all life. The egoic nature of humans is to push against this source, to believe that we can dominate it. But we are humbled when we see the news of a hurricane, earthquake, or forest fire. The attitude of surrendering the fruits of your actions to this source of life is a practice called, in the yoga tradition, Ishvara Pranidhana.  In the Upanishads, Ishvara refers to a collective unconsciousness–a concept that on some level we are all one.

In your asana practice, notice when you push yourself to a vigorous flow when your body really needs a restorative class. In the daily actions of life, notice when your mind is not present, when it races ahead to judging the outcome of what you are doing; “Will I be judged as wrong? Will my boss not like me?”  Reel your mind in and complete your action with no attachment to the outcome.  This is the attitude of surrendering to the Ultimate Reality and acknowledging your life as connected to it.