This guy is ready to clean the temple.

“The yogi realizes that his life and all its activities are part of the divine action in nature, manifesting and operating in the form of man… His body is a temple which houses the Divine Spark. He feels that to neglect or to deny the needs of the body and to think of it as something not divine, is to neglect and deny the universal life of which it is a part….The yogi does not look heaven-ward to find God for he knows that He is within, being known as the Antaratma (the Inner Self). He feels the kingdom of God within and without and finds that heaven lies in himself.” -Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar

But sometimes the temple is too messy inside.

“Self-knowledge is not always comfortable. If we do not like what we find, we are, in all honesty, obliged to do something to alter it. [Isvara-Pranidhana] is the surrender, through meditation (dhyana) and devotion (bhakti), of the ego itself.” -Light on Life, B.K.S. Iyengar

Bhakti yoga practices can present a form of devotion cultivating Isvara-Pranidhana (surrender to the Divine).  The yoga of devotion inspires one to consider an external manifestation of worship and dedication, in the form of a Divine avatar.

“After one has exhausted one’s own resources and still not succeeded, one turns to the Lord for help for He is the source of all power. The student prays: ‘I do not know what is good for me. Thy will be done.'” -Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar

When the inner tempest is overwhelming, find joy and peace in demonstrating devotion. Lay your mess down at the Divine’s feet and let the Great Janitor clean house!

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