Tapas
…?
The word “tapas” denotes the spiritual practice assumed over a period of time.
It is one of the elements that make the difference between an ordinary man, lived by his life and the awake man, who seeks to take his life into his own hands.
It represents a promise made, first of all, to our soul/Self (God or the Infinite within us).
Tapas can contain both spiritual techniques suitable for the direction for which we perform the tapas, as well as any kind of conscious effort (eg: black fasting, abstinence, Mauna, physical exertion, etc.).
As yogis, when we talk about tapas, we refer to the practice of learned techniques.
It is best to practice in the morning, in order to have greater efficiency in everything that we are going to do that day.
But what do we do when the evening comes, fatigue, and we haven’t done our tapas yet…?
1. We drink a cup of green tea or take stimulating & vitalizing plants
The state of fatigue comes (usually) from the energy and vital consumption during the day… that is, we consumed the “gasoline in the tank”.
Sleep replenishes the “stock” of 
vital energy. But in a special case, which is worth it – as is the tapas – we can use something external, for a boost of energy (temporarily).
Green tea can be an excellent help to get a boost when we are more inert, tired or when we need greater concentration power.
Also, certain powders of medicinal plants have a vitalizing effect: celery seeds, Bear’s cheese, Ginseng, Macca, Guarana (contains caffeine).
2. We do not hinder ourselves
When we are tired, the will also decreases. It is necessary to take precautions so as not to give in and be able to do even simple things.
- We don’t lie in bed, and we aim to be very firm with this decision… the call of the soft pillow will be very high!
- We do not button the phone. Fatigue will increase and it is possible to fall asleep with the phone in hand.
- We do not eat, even if many hours have passed since the last meal. With food in the stomach we almost certainly will not do what we set out to do. We’ll probably say to ourselves, “I’m waiting a little bit for it to digest and then they start practicing.” Yogis know what’s next after this… failure, most of the time.
- We don’t talk to our housemates, ashram or on the phone. It is advisable not to talk at all on the phone (unless it is an emergency) and to close the internet connection until we finish what we have to do.
3. We refresh our motivation and keep our promise
The wise man makes plans for his purposes… and it gets them done. And this is easier when we have the motivation written and detailed in our agenda or on a ticket pasted on the mirror.
At the same time, in addition to the personal, pragmatic purpose for which we want to make that tapas, the promise also appears.
The promise we make to our eternal Self that, humbly before the greatness of the conscious universe, we must keep.
And if we don’t respect it, it has to be a conscious gesture, and have tried everything we know to avoid that.
4. We start with the exercises that we like more or with…
… or with asanas that activate the vitality center (Muladhara Chakra), Uddhiyana Bandha, The Hero’s Alchemy (secret technique from Abehda Yoga) or pranayama techniques.
Or we start with what we like most, because hunger comes by eating. This is how there is a good chance that we will be able to wake up the “yoga binge”, temporarily asleep.
5. We ask for help
It is good to know that there are subtle influences, whether we can perceive them or not. Various beings who are not thrilled when we make progress, especially when the jump can be a big one.
In these kinds of moments, whether it’s an external influence or a mental one, the help of Grace of the Infinite can save us in a seemingly inexplicable way.
- We can make prayers, ananta, the Prayer of the Heart, the invocation of the beneficial protective entities, but also the appeal in the soul of the spiritual masters and, especially, of our master.
Another important thing…
We can portion the spiritual effort until sunrise.
We can go to bed in the evening and wake up early. We check the sunrise time in our city and put the alarm to ring before that moment so that we have time to finish our tapas until sunrise.
Attention!
When something brings us major benefits, obstacles also arise.
It is necessary to be cautious, to put 2-3 alarms to be sure that we wake up.
Leo Radutz, founder of the Abheda system, initiator of the Good OM Revolution