The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer is a fascinating autobiography of a man who learns how to connect with divine and natural (earth) energy. He learns to be self-connected and divinely-centered. His desires to connect and stay connected invite him to release fear, embrace trust, and serve with an open heart.
After studying and practicing yoga for a good couple of years, I found this book fascinating because in so many ways, Michael Singer exemplifies what many yogis are trying to do. He shares his ups and downs, his connections with life and love and energy, and above all his trust. He looks around at the beauty and order of the natural world and figures that if God can create the world so perfectly, maybe He can make the lives those who surrender and trust just as beautiful. So, he experiments. First and foremost, throughout every day he strives to connect himself and reconnect himself to the divine energy he feels when he meditates and does his yoga practice.
HE STRIVES TO BE CONNECTED AND CLEAR AND MAKE DECISIONS FROM AN OPEN HEART.
Then, he observes what presents itself and goes with the flow.
It sure made me think about how clear, connected, and trusting I am on a day-to-day basis. And it was an interesting read with a few unexpected twists. Here are a few quotes from the book.
Quotes from The Surrender Experiment: My Journey Into Life’s Perfection
After experiencing an amazing sense of connection with God (that which is beyond the self), Michael says, “I was like a child having to learn everything all over again. I had to learn to eat in a way that was consistent with that peace. I used to smoke pot; I stopped completely. My state was crystal clear, and I didn’t want to dull it one iota. I had to learn to go to classes and take test while remaining perfectly centered. I was in a doctoral program, on full fellowship. I had to learn to use my intellectual mind without disturbing the pace that I now loved more than life itself.” (22)
“What would happen to me if I just inwardly surrendered my resistance and let the flow of life be in charge? The rules of the experiment were very simple: If life brought events in front of me, I would treat them as if they came to take me beyond myself. If my personal self complained, I would use each opportunity to simply let him go and surrender to what life was presenting me. This was the birth of what I came to call ‘the surrender experiment’.” (55)
“It was during the building of Sandy’s cabin that I first started the ritual of offering my work up to the invisible force that was guiding me. I was not in charge, yet life continued to unfold as if it knew just what it was doing. I would serve that force. Call it what you want—God, Christ, Spirit. These were no longer just names of something to believe in. The events that were pulling me through life were tangible and real to me. Inwardly, I began to offer everything I did up to the Universal Force. All I wanted was to return home to that beautiful place deep inside of me. If following the invisible hand of life would take me there, so be it.” (74)
“In the most unlikely of places, my heart center was learning to open. I was being taught how to serve. This is not something I would have come up with on my own. My whole being thought my path to self-realization was about meditation. Fortunately, life knew better, and she was starting to guide me away from myself through service to others.” (80)
A Few Thoughts
One of the things that stuck with me the most from The Surrender Experiment is this concept: “Does it matter what I’m doing if I feel absolutely wonderful doing it?” So many times I rush through life without experiencing it. I’m not connected to myself, my body, others, God, or the earth. I’m just hurrying through my day and crossing chores off my list and my mind is five steps ahead of me instead of experiencing my life.
But, really, what am I after? Joy that comes from connection to God, my inner self, my body, my beautiful earth, and other people. When I’m connected and clear, I feel wonderful no matter what I’m doing. I can be doing something mundane or totally creative and feel equally alive and joyful. So, what if I made my priority to feel that energy, that Spirit, that connection and try my best to really live?
That’s one reason I love my daily yoga practice. I practice the way I want to live while I’m on my mat. I take time to connect, to express gratitude, to marvel at the simple act of breathing, to be still and open. Then, when I roll up my mat, I bring my practice into my life, and it keeps me more clear, more open, and much more in love with life.
To your health and happiness!
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