Niyama – Tapas – Disciplined use of our energy

By Jackie..

The third Niyama, Tapas deals with the disciplined use of our energy. It states that in doing this we need to pay attention to what we eat as well as our eating habits in general, our body posture, and our breathing patterns. I have come to question: Wouldn’t Tapas deal with our daily activities as well? If we are to discipline our energy, doesn’t this refer to all aspects of our actions?

In every activity, we choose to use our energy to complete it. So to be disciplined in our energy is to be disciplined in our daily lives right? For example, I should probably not waste my energy spending 5 hours in front of the television at night. I could be doing something much more constructive. Our readings state that we are to confront and handle our inner urges. So, if I had the inner urge to be selfish or lazy, would this not be a violation of my Tapas? So I guess my question is: Does Tapas deal with only our eating, breathing, and posture habits, or does it deal with our energy use as a whole?

Learning to Redirect Energy

by Scribe

I am just really learning about the whole concept of how energy works within and without us. This summer I really experience for the first time how powerful one’s energy can be in manifesting what one needs. But that sort of energy seems to emanate when I am in a place of both deep contentment and openness to life. I am looking forward to delving deeper into this third niyama of tapas and learning how to harness energy to create new spaces of healing and personal strength.

Tapas as a coping skill

As I reflect on the Niyama of Tapas, Disciplined use of energy, I can now see that I used Tapas as a coping skill post cancer. When you are meandering around in yourself after a cancer diagnosis, you wonder what happened. What can I change and the doctors do not really know. I decided that Self care would be a good thing and I needed discipline to do that. ( I know that lack of self care was a contributing factor to my illness. Too many late nights at work in the preceding 6 months and the subsequent bad eating and no exercise had to have  weakened the body and resistence.) I began to have discipline around sleep, eating, and physical well being.  To be honest, those were the only things I felt I could control at that point, so getting discplined seemed to make a lot of sense.  I have my weak moments, but for 10 years now I have maintained a pretty good discipline in this space.  Just ask my co-workers who are marveled at how many different vegetables I eat during shared lunches!