Whole Living Daily

The third niyama, or self-discipline, of the Yoga Sutras is tapas.  Tapas is the inner zeal, heat, or austerity that drives us down the path of self-improvement.  This self-discipline subsequently burns away that which obstructs this path.

Before we continue, if you missed the post about the first two self-disciplines, you can find it here.

Yoga Sutra II.43

Kaya indriya siddhih asuddhiksayat tapasah

I’d like to provide two translations of sutra II.43.

The first, from Mr. T.K.V. Desikachar, is:

“The removal of impurities allows the body to function more efficiently”.

Tapas is the act of keeping the body fit.  Through various activities, including asana and pranayama, we generate heat that subsequently cleanses and increases the function of all systems in the body.  Our eating habits can fuel or decrease tapas. For example, we quell heat in the body when we eat when we’re not hungry.  We stimulate heat when we eat healthy food on a regular schedule.  (This digestive fire is called agni)  I’m sure we’re all familiar with how a good diet revs up energy!

Swami Sivananda’s disciple, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, who passed in 2009, outlined the following forms of tapas:

1)   Subjecting the body to heat of fire to make it slim (or other forms of heat)

2) Practicing heating pranayama

3) Developing fire of concentration on one point (dharna)

4) Creating fire through fasting

All of these heating practices cleanse the body and therefore increase mental clarity.

A couple translations I’ve read, including the following from Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar in Light on the Yoga Sutras, move beyond the physical body:

“Self-discipline (tapas) burns away impurities and kindles the sparks of divinity.”

It’s important to note that by using the word “divinity” Mr. Iyengar is referring to the concept of Samadhi, or the ultimate goal of yoga- full realization.  The discipline of tapas is a prerequisite to attaining a greater level of consciousness.

Mr. Iyengar refers to tapas as the inner himsa (severity/violence) by which we create outer ahimsa, or non-violence .  He states, “ahimsa cannot exist alone.  There must be a complimentary force.”

Mr. Iyengar clarifies this with the excellent example of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi-ji could not have practiced or propounded the concept of civil disobedience had it not been for his rigorous personal austerity.   A large component of tapas is the ability to confront oneself objectively and frequently.  It’s this stern and, at times, harsh inward attitude that permits us to see where change must be.

Think about tapas today.  What currently fuels your ability to cultivate self-awareness? What could you do to increase this force?

Come back Thursday to learn about the final two niyama.

Sophie Herbert is an alignment focused yoga teacher (and perpetual student), a singer-songwriter, and a visual artist. She has lived, studied, and volunteered extensively in India; teaches yoga in Brooklyn and Manhattan; and recently released her first full-length album, "Take a Clear Look." Please visit her website at SophieHerbert.com.