Connecting through Surrender

Being a mother is so confusing.  We seek to deeply attach to and bond with our children, and yet, the skill we must truly develop is the one of learning to let them go.  We must learn to let go of our attachment to what they do (and don’t do) that is different from what we want or expect.   And it starts early.  If we are paying attention, it starts the very first time that we feel a tension about something going on with the baby.  It is the task of the mother who planned a beautiful home birth and ends up with a c-section.  The task of the mother who hoped for a boy and was gifted a girl.  The task of the mother who settles down for a quiet moment to herself and is immediately interrupted.  The task of the mother who “thought it would be different” than it is.  Learning to let go (aka “surrender”) is the task of every mother who wants or plans for _____ and gets _______.  And surely that is all of us.

One of the priceless gifts of Shambhava Yoga™ is the teaching of Surrender.  Babaji Shambhavananda clarifies:  “Surrender is a process that takes place inside of you.  When fear, anger or any strong emotion arises, if you can let those feelings go, you are surrendering.  In the moment when tension arises, your ability to expand beyond it and release it is surrender…” 

I must say that my initial reaction to “things not turning out the way I expected” is not exactly “surrender.”  It is more along the lines of aversion, an inner scream of “NOOOOOOOO!!!!”  For me, this is the sort of inner reaction that can be expressed outwardly with anger or engaging in power struggles that I soon regret.  Fortunately, I have a practice that is slowly but surely transforming my reactions.  With breath, mantra, and a very conscious wish to let go, aversion can be transformed to acceptance of things as they are.  This inner letting go creates space and an absence of tension that is hard to believe.  My experience is that when I go to my practice (my breath, mantra, my intention) and really release inner tension, then my mind is free to address issues with my children more creatively.  Many concerns are not as urgent as I first think, and a centered mama is a more skillful mama.  And when I make a mistake, my practice helps me to release my own guilt and upset more quickly, so that I can get back to the experience of connection with myself and my child.

I had more to say, but the baby has finished her nap early.  Off to practice!!!