The third Niyama is Tapas, which can be translated to English as "austerity", which Merriam-Webster defines as both "a stern and serious quality" and " a plain and simple quality". This suggests that Tapas is a practice of seriousness, but not without simplicity. Serious can be fun. It simply means commitment. More directly, tapas translates as "to burn". This suggests that to reach our higher selves we need to burn off layers of self-identification, inaccurate stories, and so forth. This is not an easy practice. The heat can be intense.
Modern behavioral science has spent almost fifty years studying what a flexible, compassionate, and determined Self process looks like, (called a "selfing repertoire) and how it can be cultivated. Both yoga and the latest science-backed psychology agree that compassionate engagement with our darker experiences helps lead to mind/body integration.
Behavioral science also recognizes that when learning new behaviors organisms tend to go through a period of increased attempts to perform old patterns (this is called an "extinction burst"). For instance, if you're trying to quite coffee, you will first experience an increase in headaches, urges, and so on- before the cravings stop. In yoga, when we are willing to look into our patterns in search of higher vibrational behaviors, we will feel more inadequacy, more fear... and then it drops away as we increase confidence, courage, and so on. But we need to be willing to breathe through this transition.
In this workshop, we'll move away from labeling any emotion or thought as "good" or "bad". Instead, we'll cultivate using the darkness for silent, quiet, and peaceful arenas for contemplation. When we ignite flames in the darkness, we can travel into the darkness with greater courage.
Using a combination of spiritual tapas practice and asana focused on building heat, we'll become playful in our physical practice, finding ways to laugh- and we'll cultivate courage. Through a fairly typical flow, we'll slow down (and sometimes sllllooooowwww down) to give time in postures for tuning into various bodily, emotional, and psychological experiences. In other words, we will come to "know ourselves" better. By engaging in some challenging postures, we'll create physical heat to represent tapas.
Everyone is welcome in this all levels class!
Suggested Donation: $10-$10 Sustaining Member, $20-$30 non-Sustaining Member.
MORE INFO: https://www.sanghastudio.org/special-classes-events--series.html
Sep 23, 2024, 5:30 to 6:30 PM
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