The third Niyama is TAPAS
You may be thinking of small plates of delicious Spanish food right now, however, in the context of the Niyama, TAPAS literally means ‘heat’, and with heat, transformation.
Practicing TAPAS hones us with resilience that can withstand any of life’s challenges.
The idea is to ‘cook’ ourselves in the fire of discipline to create transformation and become someone of greater character and strength. When practicing Tapas, we make moment-by-moment and day-by-day choices to burn non-supportive habits of the body and mind, choosing future benefits over momentary pleasures. This is also Kaizen!
“A little shift can go a long way, small changes can create positive effects and course changes.” Deborah Adele.
“A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”
This bumper sticker states a profound bit of truth. When we reach a barren place – where we have exhausted all that we have and want – new strength can be shaped and courage born, as we fearlessly open ourselves up to the experience. Think of the controlled burn in High Park: they manage the perimeters of areas that need to be reborn, burn down what’s encroaching, and within a few weeks, we see new growth of native plants . . . amazing!
And from St. Francis of Assisi . . .
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is sadness, joy
Self study and enquiry into spiritual study helps us to embrace the layers of our being: next up, Svadhyaya!
SOURCES: ‘Get to Know the Eight Limbs of Yoga’, article in Yoga Journal 2007, Mara Carrico ‘The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice’, Deborah Adele, 2009 deborahadele.com/ ‘Ten Ways to Heal Your Life’, article from Yoga Conference, 2013, Randal Williams
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