Find your fire…

As we move through our Vinyasa practice, our internal heat builds. Our bodies warm, our muscles, connective tissues, and joints begin to move with greater ease. Each posture starts to feel like a natural extension of our body in space and we may enter that special state where body and mind flow together in a quiet, meditative rhythm.

One of the Niyamas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is Tapas, a Sanskrit term meaning ‘heat’ or ‘fire’. In practice, Tapas refers to the discipline, effort, and self‑control that help us ‘burn away’ unhelpful habits and cultivate clarity about ourselves. We can express Tapas on the mat by embracing Sthira (steadiness and firmness) in each pose and transition. This quality of Sthira is both physical - being well-grounded, balanced, active but yielding - and mental - having a firm intention to hold the pose, to stay focused on our practice, and to maintain calm even as the body moves and the work becomes challenging.

Tapas and Sthira are never about pushing beyond our limits. They arise from working with our bodies, not against them. We take the time needed to warm up. We’re respectful of our physical limitations. We listen to the signals our bodies offer. Every practice feels different; we’re willing to modify when needed.

Cultivate Tapas by being fully present throughout the practice - returning again and again to the ebb and flow of breath, gently guiding attention back whenever it wanders. Through Tapas we build strength, purity of intention, and focused awareness not only in our Yoga practice, but in the way we move through our daily lives.