To surrender is not to give up effort; it is to shift effort from something to something else. This is very apparent in asanas. In a forward fold, give up effort in your neck and shift it to your low belly. In a twisted triangle, give up effort in your shoulders and shift it to your feet and legs. The most common “mis-efforts” I see in yogis, especially beginners, is a lot of effort in the face, neck, and shoulders. The core, hands, legs, and feet are often not carrying their share of the energy. We are so used to tension and stress that most of us naturally go toward squeezing face, neck, and shoulders, the parts of our bodies that send anxiety, depression, frustration, and/or stress signals to our brain (some beginner yogis do not put effort in any part of their body, a “shut down” reaction to stress).
In asana, we notice these reactions and replace them with meaningful actions. In that way, we slowly get better about delegating energy throughout our bodies so an asana or task feels holistically satisfying and empowering rather than stressful or difficult. This made me think about what I’m doing in my life with too much effort and what I’m doing without enough effort. I’ve been so focused on making sure daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and responsibilities get taken care of that I have steadily reduce the “observing” part of my life. My connection to the earth, other people, animals, even the material things around me has diminished because I spend less time simply watching, experiencing, and appreciating the things right in front of my eyes.
Now that I’ve noticed, I can shift more effort toward the awe of existing and the joy of living amongst such interesting stuff and love. I don’t give up taking care of responsibilities. I surrender the stress surrounding them. The effort of stress shifts (transforms) to effort of being present.
janan comedian + yoga teacher site 
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