Tapas

The second limb of the eight-faceted path of yoga consists of the five Niyamas which are reflections that take us more toward internal observances, an interior resting place. The third of these Niyamas is called Tapas and is literally translated as heat but further as transformation through self-discipline and fire as a purifying flame.

For those of you who read this and have a yoga practice think back to what initially brought you to the mat. Why did you decide that you wanted to try this thing called yoga in the first place? People come to yoga for many reasons: to become more flexible; bring their body into balance; to manage stress; to better handle anxiety or depression; or perhaps for spiritual connection. 

I first stepped onto a yoga mat in the mid-90's when I was working at the University of Melbourne. My colleague was creating programs that introduced people to different activities and yoga was one of them. And man, was it ever popular! Every semester it was full with a waiting list. What brought me to the mat was my curiosity as to why it seemed that everyone was doing yoga. And I, like many others, felt things I had never experienced prior to that moment. In the beginning, it was very much a physical practice and it wasn't until a few years later that it truly altered my life. It was the spiritual element of yoga that put its hooks into me. I had been looking for ways to balance my fiery, active self, to find connection and meaning to my life. In an unconscious way, I was looking for a way to like myself more than I did and yoga showed me how.

Tapas is about transformation, and the methods within the practice of yoga provide the tools for us to come face to face with what we wish to alter. In essence, we need to walk through the fire of transformation to find a renewed sense of who we truly are. For those of you who've "done your work" know that at times it's prickly and uncomfortable. To quote Deborah Adele in her book, "The Yamas & Niyamas-Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice":

"The promise of a crisis is that it will pick us up and deposit us on the other side of something. Will we trust the process or will we run and hide?"

Stepping into our practice more fully through movement, breath, meditation, concentration and a withdrawing of senses has the power to deposit us on the other side of something. These ancient teachings have the power to ignite the fuse of change. What is it that you're trying to untangle in your life? What needs to be transformed? The other part of Tapas is self-discipline which is that we actually have to undergo the practices for any transformation to occur. 

For years I was the theoretical meditator...knowing about the practice but having no regular discipline in its undertaking. It wasn't until I made the commitment to the practice did I truly begin to scratch the surface of its magic and the potential for greater insight into my own life. I needed to do it...not just think about doing it. What have you been thinking about but perhaps not ready to tackle due to some belief that holds you back? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it letting go of those "golden handcuffs"? Is it facing something that you packed down into your inner self so you didn't have to confront it?

The beauty of the Yamas and Niyamas is that they interrelate with one another. As we step into the fire of our own growth, we do so from a place that is aligned with the first Yama---Ahimsa or compassion and reverence for all beings including ourselves. We step gently into what it is we are trying to alter rather than going so full on into it that we begin to cause ourselves harm or distress. We approach all practices from a place of contentment (Santosha) and kindness, rather than feeling as though something is "wrong" with us and we need to repent.

As you examine why you first stepped onto the mat, ask yourself why you're still practicing? What's changed since those first few sessions? What have you transformed and how has your initial intention morphed? I have enjoyed asking people in classes this past week what brought them to yoga and would love to hear your answers to that same question. I'm curious as to how things have changed since then and what's happening in your current practice?

Feel free to share, we are all on this journey together as we walk through the purifying flame of transformation!