June Pose of the Month
The second limb of yoga is Niyama-s, which refers to the internal observances or personal practices- how we treat ourselves. It’s essentially all about what we know as self-care. Do we focus on and work toward improving our quality of life when needed by making necessary changes to help us grow, transform, and find greater contentment and happiness?
Tapas is the third Niyama. It is the practice of causing positive change. The root word tap means “to heat”, so tapas is often referred to as a “fiery discipline”. Tapas is about taking action, the practice of actually implementing our plan for self-improvement.
“Tapas is the day to day choice to burn non-supportive habits of the body and mind, choosing to forsake momentary pleasures for future rewards.” - The Yamas & The Niyamas
Imagine you’re standing at a fork in the road and you have to make the choice between continuing with the old, negative behaviors or embracing the new, positive ones. In that space you can feel the friction, the heat of discomfort that comes with change. This is tapas in action, and the friction and heat is the result of it.
Nicolai Bachmann says that, “the heat generated by practicing tapas will incinerate physical, mental, and emotional impurities, and refine the body, sensory organs, and heart-mind.”
When we practice tapas it’s important that we act from a place of love and positivity. It can be hard and scary, but it’s helpful to remember that those feelings are temporary while the actual component that’s changing- you, your lifestyle, etc.- is a more permanent positive change. So when you look at the bigger picture, is having to endure some discomfort in order to make something really magical happen for you worth it? At times it might call on us to dive deeply inward to our personal power for the strength and guidance we need to proceed. In yoga this powerful place is known as the Solar Plexus, or the Manipura Chakra in Sanskrit.
The Solar Plexus energy center is located at the center of your body between the navel and rib cage. It is the chakra that is associated with energy and light like the sun, and like tapas the solar plexus is linked to the element of fire. This chakra is about transformation. A person whose Manipura energy is flowing and balanced is a person of authenticity, non-attachment, and one who has a strong sense of self and personal power. When this energy center is balanced, one is driven and committed to the vision they have created for themselves and their life. They are constantly focused on ways to improve their quality of life, embracing those opportunities (practicing tapas) to find contentment and happiness. So essentially, you can say that practicing tapas itself can help to strengthen, balance and connect to your solar plexus chakra. We must start within to build the real strength needed for change and transformation.
Tapas helps to fuel our physical asana practice. This month our focus is on Plank Pose, known as Phalakasana (fall-ack-AHS-anna) in Sanskrit. If you’re looking for a pose that helps you connect more to your solar plexus, your personal power, this is the one for you! It doesn’t take much time holding this pose before you can start to feel the heat, that fire within.
Plank pose is a core strengthening posture that is considered an essential posture for a strong yoga practice. It helps to improve endurance and muscle tone, to train and prepare the body for more complex yoga postures, and also generate heat to stimulate the solar plexus navel chakra. This pose also allows us to practice tapas on our mat, by encouraging us to embrace a challenging pose that we may typically shy away from or not feel strong enough to do. Even if you’re focusing on preparatory poses or plank pose modifications to build the strength needed to practice plank pose, you’re still building that internal flame and transforming.
Practice plank pose and tapas with us this month to navigate your life with a stronger sense of self.
Plank Pose Alignment
Start in Downward-facing Dog.
Shift your torso forward until it’s parallel with the ground, aligning the shoulders over the wrists and the arms perpendicular to the floor.
Spread your fingers and press firmly into the bases of your index fingers and thumbs. Draw your outer arms in as you firm and broaden your shoulder blades.
Reach your chest forward and your heels back.
Engage your legs and core to support the weight of your pelvis.
Keep your gaze straight down so that the back of the neck is long and comfortable.
Hold the pose for 3-5 deep breaths.