Cleanse Journal Day 18

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of PASSIONATE EFFORT.

What does this principle mean to me?

See notes from Cleanse Day 8.

Tapas is discipline, described as a heat or passionate effort, that releases or redirects energy and fuels spiritual passion or heat. Tapas manifests as a movement away from past dysfunctional attachments and habits and a movement toward freedom.

Tapas is an effortless release, a giving up, a surrendering (as in vairagya and ishvara pranidhana), an offering up of the old in exchange for the new. It is a free choice that manifests naturally and spontaneously without will power or effort. It was demonstrated to me the evening that I lost my interest in drinking red wine. Inexplicably and spontaneously, I realized that I did not need to drink red wine. Lovely as the experience felt, I realized that drinking a glass of red wine every night took something undefinable away from me. The whole release occurred spontaneously, in a thought, without words . My “craving” just disappeared. And I just followed with some curiosity, placed the sacrifice into the sacrificial fire for fuel, and watched the experiment to see what would happen.

From the outside the release often looks like austerity or sacrifice. My family and friends commented that my renunciation of wine was "too hard" for them to do. For me it wasn't hard at all; it was the natural flow of my impulses. From the inside, a part of me freely died and another was reborn.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
Harness tapas by the conscious practice of energy conservation (pratyhara, vairagya, bhakti and tapas) one pointed focus and devotion to the Divine. Wholeheartedly desire to know the Truth of Self.

Any action that frees one from the dualistic illusion is tapas. Any action that redirects the outward flow of grasping of objects (physical or mental) is tapas. Any action that supports satisfaction (santosha) is tapas. Activities could include fasting, silence of speech and thought (mouna), and any and all of the other yamas and niyamas.

Before taking action, ask such questions as: will this activity lead to the truth? Is this action based on separateness or is it based on love? Will this action release energy or dissipate, confuse, distract, or disempower?

Daily food/elimination comments:
Losing interest in food. I am satisfied with eating much less.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Monday night, yet slept about 10 hours.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
This is easy. I continue to be generally quiet, at peace and optimistic about the future.

Cleanse Journal Day 8

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of PASSIONATE EFFORT.

What does this principle mean to me?
There are a lot of levels to yoga practice from studying the Yoga Sutras themselves, meditation, hatha yoga practice. One must be motivated to practice … have passion for the practice, otherwise the study will be reduced to mechanical intellectual knowledge, facts belonging to the memory, a long running of trivia. In I.21, Pantajali says that spiritual consciousness is nearest to those of keen, intense will.

Firm will comes through effort; effort by faith. It is not enough to have good intentions or thoughts; we must act on them; we must live them.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
Tapas is austere practice requiring burning, self-disciplined effort resulting in the purification of our character. Patanjali states in his Yoga Sutra that tapasya leads to perfection (siddhi) of the body and the senses. Tapasya is sustained and regimented endeavor to connect with the divine, while all obstacles are burned up and fall away.

The lifestyle of a householder makes it more difficult than for a monk to have an intense practice. Nevertheless make time for what is really important.

I love, in fact am even passionate about, my evolving, individualized, spiritual lifestyle.

Revisiting sutra 1.14, Patanjali stated that regularity and enthusiasm over a long period of time are what constitutes a firmly grounded practice. So do smaller amounts regularly and as this becomes doable, develop the practice in small steps.

Observations regarding the practice of my assignments:
Day 8 was, again, enjoyable. My body felt tremendously alive, once again, when I awoke. I did not perform a neti-pot nasal cleanse because I quickly left the house for the day.

Daily food/elimination comments:
I continue to enjoy the novelty, aroma and taste of the foods.

My timing was messed up today. Today I really only carried out the breakfast watery routines routine, because I was not home all day and spent a long evening enjoying Prokofiev’s War & Peace opera in Toronto. I ended up eating fruit smoothie for breakfast, fruit smoothie for lunch and some stir-fried vegetables.

Sleep record:
I was not so tired Friday night and had yet another long, satisfying rest, up to 10 hours. Perhaps I should be sleeping less. I am still considering adjusting sleep patterns.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
I’m getting it. My unique schedule has emerged; I can still tinker with it. Again, negative thoughts and memories did not pester me. I was often at peace and optimistic about the future.