Kriya Yoga, the Yoga of action

Chapter 7 - Kriya Yoga 

Day 51 

Kriya Yoga, the Yoga of action has three parts. The first is tapaha. Tapas is endurance and acceptance. You may be taking a long flight. You may be sitting in your seat and your legs would be getting numb. You may be feeling tired and heavy but you keep sitting. 

You cannot say that you will not sit anymore and that you will get out of the plane. If the plane is delayed or held up in the air, you just have to continue to be on it. There is no choice for you. Now, if you had a choice, you would not sit in one place for eight hours the way you sit on a long flight. 

But in a plane you accept the inevitable and sit - willingly and without grumbling. This is tapaha. Tapaha is experiencing the opposite values, willingly and without grumbling. You may be driving to some place at night. You are feeling sleepy as it is the time to sleep. But, you do not park somewhere and sleep. 

Of course, you may do this if the sleep is too heavy and there is a chance of you falling asleep while driving. Normally, you will carry on. In the same way, one day you may decide to fast in order to cleanse your body. You may feel hungry but you will not have anything other than fruit juice and water on that day. This is tapaha.

You may know that the benefits of certain actions, and will want to do them, like doing exercises. People go to gymnasiums for this. The exercises do not give them any pleasure. They do not enjoy lifting weights but they do it because they know that it is good for their system. 

This endurance is being alert in self study, observing one's breath and emotions. It is wondering where the thoughts and emotions come from and what happens inside you - observing and studying yourself, devotion to and love for Divine.

These three things together make up Kriya Yoga. What do they do to you? They reduce the suffering and misery in life. Samadhi bhaavana arthaha - that gives rise to samadhi - equanimity. There are certain people who walk without wearing shoes in very hot weather. 

It may seem to be self-torture. But, they are used to it and, moreover, their bodies are much stronger. They can bear that heat. But it will be very unbearable for someone else. So, tapas makes you strong in some areas. If a Californian goes to Switzerland, he may need to wear two sweaters and a coat. 

But if somebody from the North-West province, Quebec goes there, the cold will seem insignificant. He may not even need a sweater because his body is used to harsher conditions. Tapas is willingly doing something that is not very easy. This strengthens you. But, people can stretch this beyond proportions. 

They can become masochists and torture themselves. And here, too, there are three types of tapas - tapas for the body, tapas for the words, for speech and tapas in the mind.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 

PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS