Tapas: Keep the Fire Burning

The third Niyama is Tapas.

The word literally means heat.

Not the kind of heat you get from sitting in a sauna or doing hot yoga until you have a

full flowing river of sweat running down your spine.

The kind of heat created by steady, consistent effort.

The fire that transforms.

Tapas is discipline.

But not the David Goggins “STAY HARD!” joyless, self-punishing sort. You know the vibe. 🤣

It is the willingness to keep showing up for what matters.

Again and again.

Even when you can’t be bothered.

In fact, especially when you can’t be bothered.

Patañjali’s Promise

In Yoga Sūtra 2.43, Patañjali tells us that through Tapas, impurities are burned away and the body and senses become refined.

That sounds wonderfully mystical, but the basic idea is actually pretty practical.

When we consistently do the things we know are good for us, we tend to feel better.

Who knew, right?! 😆

But joking aside, this is where transformation happens.

Not in one heroic effort.

Not in a brief burst of motivation.

But in the quiet, often unglamorous decision to keep going.

Discipline as Devotion

I’ve come to think of Tapas as disciplined effort in service of something you care deeply about.

You step onto your mat.

You repeat the mantra.

You lift the weights.

You write the words.

You tell the truth.

You keep going.

Not because you are trying to prove your worth.

But because something in you knows this matters.

That, to me, is Tapas.

The Fire That Moves Us Forward

The body creates energy by burning fuel.

Without that fire, we don’t move.

Tapas works in much the same way.

It is the inner heat generated when we consistently direct our energy toward what matters most.

Too little fire and we drift.

Too much fire and we burn ourselves out.

The practice is learning to tend the flame.

Enough heat to keep moving.

Not so much that we turn ourselves to ash.

Ram Dass on Practice

Ram Dass once said:

“The best thing I can do for you is work on myself. The best thing you can do for me is work on yourself.”

Tapas is the part where you actually do the work.

Quietly.

Consistently.

Without needing applause.

A Simple Practice

Over the next 24 hours, ask yourself:

What do I know would genuinely support me right now?

Then do that thing.

Roll out the mat.

Go for the walk.

Turn off your phone.

Sit quietly for five minutes.

Do the boring thing you know works.

And then, tomorrow, do it again.

That is Tapas.

राम राम 🙏