Tapa - The Art Of Adjusting

Taking a good look at established practices

- Smt. Simone Preuss

Once in a while, it is good to challenge oneself and jump into uncharted waters. Life begins where the comfort zone ends, right? Though tried and tested is good and we need a number of routines to get through the day, it is useful to revise those routines once in a while. Are they still serving me or am I holding on to them because I am too lazy to find better ones? Am I practicing them out of conviction and with enthusiasm or out of habit?

The technique of Tapa - the third Niyama and first part of Kriya Yoga as mentioned in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 2.32 and 2.1, respectively - helps us look at established routines and find new ones. Those who are currently doing a teacher training course - online or on campus will attest to how a new routine can give one's life a new direction: getting up early, setting time aside for classes, scheduling work and household chores accordingly, opening the mind to new information, impulses and people...