Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga: NIYAMA | TAPAS

Austerity destroys impurities. From that come yogic accomplishments pertaining to the body and senses. Tapas means to heat, purify or breakdown the things that stop us from shining so we can expand our level of awareness. The greatest form of Tapas is Austerity. 

Tapas is the discomfort we feel which comes before evolution of self and the action we take. When we consciously choose face our fears and discomfort we have more agency during the process, more capacity to understand what’s unfolding to learn the subtle lessons to be learnt. Using the friction as a purifying agent.

The result of Tapas is Tejas, that warm fuzzy feeling of joy, radiance and love that comes with overcoming something. For me, this is what living is. 

Tapas can come in many different forms through Asana, fasting and silence but the great Sage Vyasa tells us the ultimate Tapas is though Pranayama. Why? Because of Its intimate relationship between the breath and mind, especially with techniques of Kumbacha and Bandha to help push the subconscious thoughts to the surface relatively quickly. 

The more we practice this the less ingrained our Samskaras (beliefs) become. In these current times there is a lot of manipulation and deceit creating false beliefs. To break yourself free from these requires great Tapas.