The Third Niyama: Tapas

The Third Niyama: Tapas

By Kate O’Neal Aitken The third Niyama, or ethical observance, in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is Tapas. The Sanskrit root “tap” translates loosely as “to heat,” “to burn” or “austerity,” although defining tapas as simply a state of severe strictness misses its real...