November Theme of the Month: Surrender

The art of floating in life’s river with trust and tenderness

There is a beloved story of Swami Kripalu that I’ve heard many times during my studies at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. To keep it short and sweet:

One day, after days of deep meditation, Swami Kripalu was walking along a river and was swept away by a raging current. He fought to survive—swimming against the current, straining, struggling. Exhaustion began to take over, and he thought he was going to die. He called out, “I’m drowning, please save me!”

Then, he heard the voice of his guru:

“Swami, stop swimming. Surrender.”

Trusting his teacher, Swami Kripalu stopped fighting. He let go. He found stillness, turned inward toward his breath, and began to float atop the raging river. In time, the current slowed and carried him gently to shore. The next morning, his neighbors found him—miraculously unscathed and alive.

What Swami Kripalu experienced was a true test of surrender, or Ishvara Pranidhana—the final Niyama (Ethical Observance) in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Swami Kripalu’s experience may seem extraordinary, but the essence of surrender lives in our everyday lives too.

Because life, like a river, is always moving.
Some days, we drift along an easy current.
Other days, we reach a bend—or find ourselves pulled under.

What It Really Means to Surrender

Here’s the thing about surrender—it doesn’t mean giving up.
It means redirecting our energy in a way that doesn’t drain our spirit.

When Swami Kripalu fought against the current, his resistance exhausted him. When he chose stillness and trust, he found support. What if we, too, allowed ourselves to stop fighting and simply float—to soften into life’s twists and turns with breath and faith?

Surrender without knowing the purpose is perhaps the hardest form of trust. It asks us to believe that whatever is happening holds meaning, even when that meaning feels murky. You might ask, Why is this happening? What is it all for?

That’s where Ishvara Pranidhana truly comes in—the surrender to divine timing, the quiet trust that, as written in Ecclesiastes 3:1,

“There is a time for everything.”

When challenge arises, it can be a time of growth—a moment meant to shape patience, strength, or compassion. As poet Max Ehrmann wrote,

“Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”

Surrender and the Season

The holidays are upon us, and with them often comes extra stress. The running around, the expectations, the complexities of family and finances—it’s easy to feel like you’re swimming upstream.

This is the perfect time to practice surrender.
To remember that the universe—God, Source, Spirit, whatever name speaks to you—is within you, always guiding. And when you feel alone, recall the poet Rumi’s gentle reminder:

“Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is within you.”

Through surrender, we also make space for gratitude:
the rising sun, small acts of kindness, quiet moments of connection.
What would it feel like to trust in divine timing—and be grateful for exactly what is?

How to Practice Surrender on the Mat

During movement:
Notice where you tend to grip or push—whether in your body or your mind. Let each inhale invite openness, and each exhale whisper, let go. Move with softness. Trust your breath more than your willpower. Honor your body and find a variation or a prop to support the pose rather than forcing the pose.

During Savasana:
When you come to rest, imagine yourself floating on the surface of a gentle river. Your breath rises and falls like waves. Nothing to do, nowhere to go—just being held.

This is the heart of Ishvara Pranidhana—to release the illusion of control, to trust the flow, to rest in presence.

Closing Reflection

When we surrender, we open to grace. We create space for gratitude, for peace, for the quiet knowing that everything unfolds in its own time.

May this month remind you that surrender is not defeat—it’s a softening into trust. It’s the art of floating in the river of life, knowing the current is always carrying you exactly where you’re meant to go.

May you surrender to the unfolding,

Katie