Welcome to the first week of Spring!

This week we discuss tapas, announcements about upcoming classes and ongoing offerings.

Tapas: Self-Discipline

This week, the discussion of the yamas and niyamas, the ethical principles of yoga, continues with the third niyama tapas: self-discipline.

What is Tapas?

In this case, it is not the Spanish small portion cuisine, but rather it derives from the Sanskrit word tap that means "to burn or to heat." In yoga we build an inner fire with this heat to burn away the impurities inside ourselves. We thus, make room for personal transformation.

Fire Transforms

So why do we apply self-discipline to this concept of fire. It is this heat or fire that helps us to cleanse ourselves by becoming more inwardly disciplined. Just like a controlled burn in a forest, unneeded stuff such as dead grass and thick underbrush, gets burned away.

Think of tapas as this controlled burn of the stuff that doesn't serve us. We use this fire to burn away those things that distract us from our personal journey. The heat of tapas helps us to internally purify ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually such that we use our self-discipline to work toward living a life of joy.

Tapas is Self-Discipline

Over a lifetime, we get into habits that may not serve us well. This is where tapas comes in. We have the ability to transform ourselves by burning away some of these habits and making space for healthier ones. This burning away the things that don't serve us, is the practice of self-discipline. The practice of tapas. Self-discipline can push us toward positive actions in personal growth of the mind and body.

As we burn away toxicities in the journey that is our lifetimes, we move toward peace within ourselves. Tapas helps to create and hold space by applying the transformational qualities of self-discipline. Having the discipline to do breathwork, meditation and yoga asana practice builds the fire to burn away these impurities over the course of a lifetime.

In my recent experience, I've been a bit lazy getting to the mat. It takes self-discipline.

The very first step, is getting onto the mat. That in and of itself takes a huge amount of discipline.

What happens next is that I realize that I'm already there and decide, I'm just going to lie there in savasana, corpse pose. So, I just lie there. Next thing I know, I'm listening to my body (which is very noisy!) and do a pose for whatever body part is loudest at the time. Next thing I know, I am doing a whole sequence. The lesson here is, that by simply stepping onto the mat we can fuel the fire of self-discipline.

The success of tapas is in continuing the journey toward self-discipline. It is not an end game (Seiberling). Think about what baby steps that you want to take to light your inner flame and begin your vital tapas journey?

Resources and Readings

Adele, Deborah. The Yamas & Niyamas . On-Word Bound Books. Kindle Edition.

Iyengar, B.K.S. (1979). Light on yoga. Revised Edition. New York: Schoken Books.

Newlin, E. (2022). Understanding the niyamas -- tapas.

Seiberling, C. Yoga's Yamas and Niyamas: 10 Principles for Peace & Purpose (p. 76). createspace. Kindle Edition.

Wilson, A. (2022). Playing with Fire: The Power of Tapas to Help Us Fulfill Our Intentions. Kripalu Center.

Upcoming Offerings

Coming in April I will be offering online Yoga Nidra on Thursday evenings. This class will be offered in addition to the Monday class that will remain on the schedule. Stay tuned for further details.

This week Thursday, March 24 I start teaching again over the next 5 weeks for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through Eckert College. I am online for the next 5 weeks at 2:00 pm. This week starts with a deep dive into yoga nidra with 90 minute workshop. The following weeks will be a delightful one hour yoga nidra experience. If you are interested visit their website to register.

Ongoing Offerings

Yoga nidra classes continue online at 7:30 ET Monday nights. Join me tonight for a beautiful relaxing journey that will help you to heal, relax, and de-stress for an hour.

Yoga for Organizations

Using yoga and meditation techniques, I am available to support an organization's institutional mission and values tailored to the needs of employees. Meditation and yogic exercise have been shown to promote wellness that boosts employee morale, effectiveness, and productivity (Sheelu, Garg, & Rastogi, 2022). If you know someone who may be interested in setting up a meditation or yoga class for a retreat or as a regular amenity or employee benefit in their organization please forward this link to them.

Private Lessons

I continue my availability for face-to-face or online private lessons. Contact me by filling out the form at the bottom of any of my web pages..