"Awareness is the thread that takes you through the transitions of life."
Radhika Shah Grouven
Author, Mastering Pranayama
Tapas: Touching the Yoga mat counts
A case for a gentle approach to disciple in Yoga. Tapas means discipline.
I am a writer and for years I struggled to write. Don't get me wrong. I loved writing but every time I sat down to write my mind wanted to do something else. It wanted to eat or watch television or chat with someone on the phone. Then I read about an accomplished writer, Stephen Spender. An admirer asked him how he managed to write so well and so consistently. To this the prolific writer replied, "I make it a point to be inspired everyday at 9 a.m."
This story stuck in my head and I thought, "If it works for him, it should work for me too!" So everyday at sharp 9 a.m. I sat down at my desk, tapping away at the keys of my typewriter.
The mind loves routine
Now, over two decades later, at 9 a.m. you will still find me at my desk, my fingers dancing across the keyboard, my eyes blurry from staring at the screen!
Much has been said and written about discipline. But let's face it, no one likes the word. It conjures up images of military style rigidity. Discipline is, in fact, dynamic, it is flexible and fun. It is really about creating new habits. The mind loves routine. You can use time to condition your mind. That's why at 9 a.m. I can only think of one thing - yes, that's right, writing!
But I must be honest with you, though I sat at my desk everyday at 9 a.m. I didn't always write. There were times when I didn't feel like writing. I promised my mind, "If you don't feel like writing, don't." I'd use that time to edit something I had written earlier, or do a little research for a piece I was planning to write later. Sometimes my mind didn't want to do that either. I didn't want to fight with my mind, that would be violent, wouldn't it? So I decided, just thinking of ideas for new articles is counted, just switching on the PC is counted, and "Mind, if you don't feel like doing that either, don't, because just touching the keyboard is counted!"
Why everything counts
Don't fight with your mind, lower your own expectations of yourself. In a competitive world you not only expect too much of others, but also too much of yourself. We hurt ourselves and do not even know it. Train your mind gently, not with force. If you use force you will only strengthen impressions of self-violence.
When we start to practice Yoga, we begin with a burst of enthusiasm. We take on too much - too many asanas, long periods of meditation, too often. Then the untrained mind rebels and soon we miss one day, then another and another...until we have forgotten all about our practice.
Create a new habit gently. Fix a time for practice and stick to it. Do short practices, then gradually do them more often. And if you don't feel like doing it, don't. Just touching the yoga mat counts!
The Spirit of Dicipline
You can use this gentle method to create new healthy habits as well as break unhealthy habits. Don't make resolutions you cannot live up to. Go easy on yourself, take a day at a time. If you slip, don't condemn yourself, after all you are human and the best of us make mistakes. Forgive yourself and start all over.
The spirit of discipline is a unique response to every situation. If you are flexible, you will eventually evolve your own training programme to suit your unique set of conditions. When the head and the heart agree, that perfect coordination is called discipline.
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Comments:
Mainly I love the effect of it and its ability to transform. I agree it is a fluid firey energy and not simply rigid dogmatic regimen but more a force for dynamic change in the direction of the heart. It fills us with more fire and faith seeing how much is possible in this life.
Thank you for sharing
Yan x
Again, it resonates deeply with my personal experience.
When I finally committed to and adhered to the practice in earnest there were specific teachings and instructions primarily from volume 2 of Path of Fire and Light that were very instrumental.
The first instruction was to set a time for meditation. As I spent time in the Minneapolis centre I set my time as 6 am and 10 pm at the time of initiation. This has proven indespansable.
The second teaching was around sankalpa shakti. Swamiji presented sankalpa shakti almost as a capacity that increases each time one fulfills a certain resolution and diminishes each time one fails to follow through with what they had resolved to do. In this light several principles emerged.
One was that one would be wise to be very cautious as to the commitments undertaken. Failure to follow through would not only compromise the pursuit but also one's sankalpa shakti as well.
A second was that habits can be transformed in small increments until a new pattern is established that every step is successful and nurturing to one's sankalpa shakti rather than exhaustive. For example, one could resolve to sit at a certain time but not commit to a certain duration. 'Touching the mat' would then fulfill the sankalpa and establish a certain pattern while increasing one's sankalpa shakti. Once established, a later sankalpa of sitting for a certain duration or completing a certain number of males etc. could be undertaken.
Another layer was that as sankalpa shakti could be considered a limited capacity at a particular point in one's development, to typically implement one major change or a few minor resolutions at a time would be wise. Otherwise one could risk dividing this quality among different pursuits potentially jeopardizing success in all.
This lead me to considering what habit was the priority and could be considered most beneficial in improving one's quality of life at a given time.
Finally, in an instance where a particular resolution was not amenable to incremental steps one could make a singular resolution and then apply and reapply oneself until the habit was established.
This guidance has been truly transformative. It has allowed me to successfully establish a habit at a time and gradually explore and implement successive changes after consideration with greater resolve.
The internal dialogue technique described in the Tradition has been valuable in considering which habit is a priority and what step would be appropriate at a given time.
I am ever grateful to the Tradition for this guidance!
Om Gurubhyo Namah!
A forced and rigid discipline methods are just crude reactions and enforcement of one's own ego to themselves and as well on others. Such a forced discipline is self inflicting, devastating to one's own mind and body as well to others.
On the contrary, discipline created as a habit with perfect peace and harmony of mind and body is fulfilling, long lasting, enhancing one's own life and realization of the goals.
This gives me a new perspective to create the required discipline as a habit that translates into joy than pain.
Pranam.