299. Tapas: Burn Away What?
Heat. Fire. Purification. But what exactly are we trying to burn away?
In Yoga Sutra 2.43, Patañjali returns to tapas — one of the three practices we first encountered in Kriyā Yoga and now the third of the niyamas.
But this time, he takes us deeper.
kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ
Through tapas, impurities are diminished or worn away, bringing accomplishment or mastery of the body and senses.
But "impurity" can be a difficult word.
This isn't about believing there's something fundamentally wrong with us. We don't need yoga to make us worthy.
Instead, what if we ask:
What's getting in the way of who I already am?
Reactivity.
Compulsion.
Distraction.
Avoidance.
Numbing.
Old unconscious patterns that continue to run our lives.
Tapas gives us the opportunity to notice those patterns, create some friction, and begin choosing differently.
The practice isn't about becoming worthy.
It's about becoming freer.
So today, ask yourself:
What unconscious pattern has been running me?
Notice it.
Become curious about it.
And perhaps that's something worth putting to the fire.
Yoga Sutra 2.43
kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ
Om, Peace, Out!
