Getting Yoga Ready (8) - Tapasya

For the longest time, I was under the impression that "Tapas" means standing on a single leg in the tree pose in front of a roaring pyre, repeating a mantra for years together so that the presiding deity of the mantra appears in front of you and grants you all the boons that you want. Blame it all on the Ramayana and Mahabarata serial played out in the television. I even figured out what boon to ask -I will ask for a boon where everything that I wish for happens. And I even had an inbuilt safety mechanism to that boon -lest I think of something unintentionally and that comes true, causing chaos and sorrow. So, I thought that I will ask God to give me a boon where if I say a particular mantra and whish for something three times, only that should come true.

Well, to be honest, this fantasy has played out in my mind even as recently as just a few years back. But now, when I look at this niyama, I see that Tapas is not a special ritual, but that which should be practiced consciously every single day. What does Tapas mean? It comes from the root word that means "to heat, to burn, to give warmth". In this parlance, tapas means austerity and purification through self discipline. So, why is this a niyama? Why should one practice austerity in every day life?

Austerity is the easiest way to distinguish between needs and wants. I may want a new pair of footwear, but I definitely don't need it. I may want to travel somewhere, but I don't need to go anywhere. This doesn't mean that I live in a constant self denial mode. To identify and accept what I am needing and what I am wanting and then consciously choosing what to do about my needs and wants is the first step towards observing tapasya. Once this is achieved, it is glaring how less are the needs and how much are the wants. Austerity is choosing to free oneself from greed and insecurity.

Once I can clearly distinguish between my need and want, then my life becomes very simple and decluttered. It starts from the wardrobe and extends up to the mind. Just like how I throw out all the clothes that I no longer wear, I let go of the notions that no longer hold relevance in my life. Just like how I stop buying new clothes when I don't need it and saving the space in my shelves, I stop bringing in unwanted thoughts into my awareness and thus, freeing my mind of more and more mental impressions.

Tapasya makes life very simple. There is no longer a blind chase of experiences. There is no longer a compulsion to acquire things in hope of that making one happy. It even extends to emotional well being. How? Applying the same principle, I don't cling on to people out of insecurity. I don't expect my relationships to satisfy my wants anymore. Can you see how it can transform relationships? We will then start giving more without expecting anything in return, because there is not much that we want out of the relationships anyway. 

Does this mean I end up becoming a boring person, with no ambition, no drive -just sitting at home and twiddling my thumbs because I don't want anything? NO!

When I am free from my own notions of what I want for being happy and when I experience that I don't need anything or anybody to be happy, then this tapasya will give the WILL to serve others without expectations. Our actions are no longer dictated by the petty "I". When the physical, emotional and intellectual wants are removed, we become shining receptacles of God's will and the body, mind and intellect become His instrument to do His work. 

All these high notions are fine. But how do I practice tapasya in every day life? 

Well, I can start in small and simple steps by taking only how much I need from the resources I have. Even in the simple act of showering, use only that much water to cleanse the body. Just because I have hot running water in my bath, it doesn't mean I have to indulge in a long shower. Eat only as much as I need to satiate my hunger. No need to keep stuffing the face with snacks and small eats just out of boredom. Sleep only as much rest the body needs. Buy only those things that are needed. Speak only what needs to be expressed & communicated. All this means, I live with a constant sense of awareness about what I am doing. I stop acting out of compulsion and start living consciously.

Austerity is very much the need of the hour where greed and insecurity fueled consumerism is the root cause of all the environmental chaos and deterioration that we are facing today. By practicing a conscious living, we make ourselves a lesser burden to Mother Earth.

Om...peace...peace...peace!