“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”

~ Jesse Owens

The third Niyama of the second branch of yoga is

Tapas तपस्

Yoga Sutra 2.43: Kaya indriya siddhir asuddhi ksayat tapasah

“Austerities destroy impurities and, with the resulting perfection in the mind, body and sense organs, physical and mental powers awaken.”
~ Gary Kissiah

Tapas is often translated as “heat” or “self-discipline” and can be imagined as an inner fire that, when lit, metabolizes all impurities and awakens your inner light and divinity. When we practice self-discipline, determination, and follow through on our intentions we can direct our energies towards creating a life we love.

In yoga, we cultivate tapas by our commitment to our regular practice, when we hold a pose, stay with our breath and practice awareness of the present moment. When we shift into becoming the witness of our practice (and our life) we bring awareness to what no longer serves us and release those habits/thoughts/actions/relationships in the heat of tapas. With the new space created we can now create and attract new opportunities, and by applying our self-discipline, efforts  and determination making our dreams come into reality.

Tapas inspires us to get out of bed in the morning, make it to our regular yoga practice, and helps us to overcome inertia, procrastination, old habits and conditioning. It gets us going to class even if we don’t feel like doing anything, it supports us in trying out new poses and holding them a little longer. Just like in yoga, tapas can be applied to our everyday life.

What is it that you can do today with the support of tapas? As always, I would love to hear from you! Drop me an email, leave a comment on my blog post webpage or on the Mendocino Healing Facebook page. Your feedback means so much!

Ignite your inner fire, let your light shine through and make your dreams come true!
I believe in you!
Namasté!