"Tapas (self-discipline) challenges us to cultivate inner strength and willpower, and push ourselves out of our comfort zones to grow and evolve.”
- Deborah Adele
Yoga literally translates to “to join, union, to yoke.” It focuses deeply on uniting the body, mind and spirit in a harmonious way. Yoga has been around for over 5,000 years beginning in India. There are hundreds of schools of yoga, each having their own practices. In the West, yoga is commonly seen as exercise and poses. Yoga is of course exercise, and yet, it is also so much more. Practicing yoga is practice for life. Yoga practice on the yoga mat prepares us for life off of the mat. This is commonly referred to as “yoga off the mat.”
Yoga off the mat can be practiced everyday, and especially through the 8 Fold Path. The 8 Fold Path is believed to bring us to our highest form of liberation, also known as Samadhi (the final stage along the 8 Fold Path). The 8 Fold Path is discussed in great detail in Patanjali Sutras which guides yogis to self realization and inner peace. The 8 Fold Path is broken down to 8 limbs, each building upon the previous.
There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas. The ten guidelines of the Yamas & Niyamas help us create/experience/enjoy a life well lived. They provide practical guidance to make skillful moment to moment choices in our everyday life.
Yamas translates to “restraints” and include:
Niyamas translates to “observances” and include:
For more information on the Yamas and Niyamas, check out The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele.
Tapas is the practice of unwavering self-discipline and austerity. It literally translates to “heat” and refers to our inner fire. Tapas is a personal favorite of mine. It embodies this sense of cooking ourselves in some discomfort & challenges to transform ourselves into something new. With Tapas, there is a determined effort to become someone of character and strength (mentally, physically and emotionally). We can practice Tapas everyday in the choices we make. Do we wish to burn away non-supportive habits? I do. Warning: the land of Tapas involves discomfort, and that discomfort very well might produce luscious bounty with our lives if we can withstand the heat
A situation typically gets the hottest just before the grand transformation is about to occur. Sitting in the fire requires discipline, dedication, devotion, intentional effort and patience. This can be extremely challenging today depending on your relationship with instant gratification. Imagine if the caterpillar left its cocoon right before it was about to blossom into the butterfly and spread its new wings for the first time? This story was shared with me during my Ayurveda journey at Kripalu by Colby Kozlowksi. To learn more about Colby and her teachings, check out her book, One Degree Revolution.
Many times in my life I have sat next to the fire, I could feel the heat, but I was not truly IN the fire. Other times, I was in the fire, completely, but after some time, I bailed. I was too uncomfortable and felt like it was safer, easier and more comfortable to retreat. Recently, I have spent more time IN the fire, withstanding the discomfort and the other side is beautiful, breathtaking, and more peaceful than I could have ever imagined. As my yoga and Ayurveda journeys continue to evolve, I find myself becoming stronger and more prepared for Tapas. Tapas takes sustained dedication and motivation. It involves riding waves of feeling frightened, uncomfortable, excited, anxious, etc. When things begin to feel grueling, the transformation is beginning. Can you lock in and stay the course?
Last year I ran my first and only half marathon. At every mile I thought about the race being over. I was hot, hungry, sweaty, achy, thirsty and severely uncomfortable. As I was reaching the end of the race, just when I thought I did not have one more ounce of energy to sprint to the finish line, I dug deep and sent myself pushing to the end, and suddenly all the discomfort over the last two hours was worth the feeling of pride and accomplishment I felt. I reflect on this race and feel such strength knowing that I did not give up, and I truly gave 100%.
We all have unhealthy habits, tendencies, responses, patterns and traits. We can often find Tapas right in the center of an old/unhealthy habit working its way towards a new, healthy, fresh habit. That center point creates friction. In this center, we have a choice. We can retreat back to the comfortable, familiar, unhealthy way. Or we can withstand the discomfort and the fire, muster up the strength to carry on to be revealed a different & new way. Deborah Adele speaks in her book about the quote “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” Tapas can bring us to that place where we truly feel like we can not go on another moment, our gas tank is empty, the rug has been ripped out from underneath us and it seems like there is no way to carry on. In this space, when we choose to fearlessly stay and open ourselves to that experience, our new strength and character is born.
Nobody knows you and your body better than you. You are the boss. You get to decide if sitting in the fire is worth the outcome. There may be times when sitting in the fire is harmful and you will need to use your discernment to decide what is best and safest for you. There are valid reasons for staying in the fire when it becomes uncomfortable, and there are valid reasons for not sitting in the fire. Only you get to decide how hot is too hot for you. Being honest with yourself and where you are at is a form of selfcare. May you enjoy your journey with Tapas!
“One way to think about Tapas is to look for the edge of comfortable discomfort, a middle way between physical extremes and excessive caution.” - Kino MacGregor
Meg Visnaskas is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Ayurvedic Health Counselor at the NH Health & Wellness Center. She finds great passion working with clients and helping them reflect on their daily habits and work towards creating new ones. Meg is a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher and teaches at Humble Warrior Power Yoga. She has a deep love for sharing yoga philosophy in her classes. For questions and scheduling, contact her directly by email at meagan@nhhealthwellness.com
