Card #41 – Tapas

Consciously withholding energy from unconscious expenditure is associated with the Sanskrit word, “Tapas.” We live in a realm where myriad forces seek to drain our energy or tempt it toward unworthy investment and discharge. Cool down and store your vital energy.

From the Wikipedia:
Tapas (tápas) in Sanskrit means “heat”. In Vedic religion and Hinduism, it is used figuratively, denoting spiritual suffering, mortification or austerity, and also the spiritual ecstasy of a yogin. In the yogic tradition, tapas may be translated as “essential energy”, referring to a focused effort leading towards bodily purification and spiritual enlightenment. It is one of the Niyamas (observances of self-control) described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Tapas implies a self-discipline or austerity willingly expended both in restraining physical urges and in actively pursuing a higher purpose in life. Through tapas, a yogi or spiritual seeker can “burn off” or prevent accumulation of negative energies, clearing a path toward spiritual evolution.

See writings on the Warrior Stance