"There was also a significant static asana practice component of several minutes ( 5 to 10 mts) in asanas as sirsasana, sarvangasana, paschimatanasana, mahamudra and also stay in one legged tapasvin poses like vrikshasana or Bhagiratasana". Ramaswami on this years Vinyasa Krama TT
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"Tapas is a term well known to Yogis. It is an element of the niyamas of Ashtanga Yoga and part of kriya yoga of Patanjali.. Tapas is austerity, penance. Lord Krishna in the Gita considers Tapas in the three human activities (trikarana) viz., of speech (vak), thought (manas) and body (kaya). Worshiping the gods, scholars, teachers and wise ones, cleanliness, straightforwardness, controlling senses,non-harming are said to be tapas of the body. Avoiding hurtful words, speaking truthfully, words that promote amity and goodwill are said to be tapas of speech. Peace of mind, compassion, silence, self/mind control, pure thoughts—these are considered tapas of the mind. These tapas of body, mind and speech observed scrupulously by selfless yogis is considered satvic tapas.
With a view to get attention and appreciation from others, tapas done pompously and inconsistently(in fits and starts) is said to be rajasic tapas. And doing tapas with superstition and torturing oneself or for the harm and destruction of others is considered tamasic." Guna ~ Srivatsa Ramaswami September 2015 Newsletter
TREE POSES AND STORY OF BHAGIRATA
"The Sanskrit root ‘tap’ means to heat up (tapa daahe) and there are a
couple of words derived from the root that are found even in the
Vedas. They are ‘taapa’ and ‘tapas’ both of which are used by
Patanjali in the Yoga sutras. The word taapa means to be under intense
heat or pressure and hence uncomfortable, like the ‘cat on a hot tin
roof’ or walking barefoot in the sands of Sahara around midday in
midsummer. The word taapa as used by Patanjali and the Vedas indicates
the taapa mood as one in which the mind feels intense pain, like the
inability to get what one wants and the inability to get rid of what
one does not want. So taapa is a negative feeling, of being tormented.
Whereas the word tapas, which also means intense heat, indicates self
purification or a self discipline imposed by the person (yogi or
tapasvi) to be able to attain something out of the ordinary. Tapas
will indicate channelizing one’s energies without distractions and
wastage toward the main goal. The Vedas refer to intense study of the
Vedas (srutam), charity all through one’s life (danam), remaining
peaceful and maintaining equanimity all through life (saantam),
leading a austere religious life (yagnyam), meditating on Brahman the
ultimate reality (brahma Upasya) as tapas. So while taapa refers to an
unbearable negative heat, tapas refer to heat generated by positive
uplifting effort. Tapas has a cleansing effect, like using heat to
remove dross from precious metal like gold.
"...we have a number of instances quoted in the Puranas, where someone
would do penance standing on one leg until one gets the vision of God
or Goddess. I have written about the story of the kid, Dhruva who did
Tapas standing on one leg to please Lord Vishnu/Narayana. The one
legged postures are said to create a great sense of balance—physical
and mental—and also create tolerance, patience and perseverance and
goal orientation and fine tunes the sense of balance. One legged poses
group are sometimes known by the general term, vrikshasana or tree
pose sequence. It looks like one standing like a tree standing on
(one) trunk. The one legged poses are known as Tapasvin postures or
poses of penance /austerity".
December 2009 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami
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"We must eat vegetarian food, speak the truth and one day a week practice silence (not speak" Yogasanagalu.
Here's Ramaswami on the mitabhashana and mitahara tapas tradition, tapas moderation in speech and food intake. It's worth noting that in several places, Krishnamacharya stressed the importance of moderation in food intake.
"Patanjali refers to 'tapas' both in Kriya Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga in his Yoga Sutras. Many old school commentators refer to tapas as moderation in speech and food intake (mitabhashana and mitahara). Both according to my Guru refer to the tongue. The tongue has two functions and two weaknesses (jihva chapalya). First it contains taste buds and it could lead to eating for the pleasure the taste buds give. If it is not under control, one starts eating for pleasure. Whereas a yogi eats to overcome the pain of hunger maybe eating once a day, a bhogi eats several times severally tasting foods for the pleasure it gives. A yogabhyasi is advised to eat moderately overcoming the temptation of the tongue. This is tapas with respect to eating. The other function of the tongue is to talk --it is an important part of one's sound system. Talking indiscriminately can also be due to weakness of the tongue. Talking indiscriminately disturbs the mind and leads to other undesirable consequences. So Patanjali's yogabhyasi would speak moderately and appropriately, and this is also tapas
Tapas is moderation in food intake and talking--or control of the tongue".
Krishnamacharya lists ten yamas not five, here's number nine.
"9. To use half the stomach for food and to keep the other half in equal parts
for water and for air flow (vayu sancharam) is mitahara". Yoga Makaranda p30
"3.3 Dietary Restrictions for the Yogabhyasi
Food must be eaten in measured quantities. It must be very pure. The food should not be overly hot, it should not have cooled down too much (very cold food should be avoided). Savouring the taste, fill the stomach with such food until it is half full. After this, leave a quarter of the stomach for water and leave the rest empty to allow for movement of air. For example, one who normally has the capacity to eat 1/4 measure of food, should eat 1/8 measure of food and leave the rest of the stomach as mentioned above.
For whom there is neither excess nor less of sleep, food and activity
For him alone it is possible
to attain the state of yoga
The reader should keep these great words from the Gita Saram in their mind." Yoga Makaranda p42
"We must eat vegetarian food, speak the truth and one day a week practice silence (not speak" Yogasanagalu.
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Nice post here from Jean Marie in the "I quit Ashtanga" genre (but not what you might expect going by the title).
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APPENDIX
from an earlier post on Tapas and the Vinyasa Krama one legged sequence
Loved how Ramaswami introduced this series on the course. He said that these poses were tapas postures. Tapas postures are those you use to gain the attention of the gods. In the Mahabharata, Amba says she stood on one toe in the snows of the Himalayas for eleven years....can't complain about three to six breaths then then.This is an evil series and balance poses have always been one of my weakest areas and yet it's grown on me, these poses have grown on me. I'm less excited by the fancy arm balances these days, give me the classical natajarasana or a half decent, steady uttita hasta padangushtasana.
Oh, I was just reading the Darby's interview in the Guruji book and they said Uttita hasta padangushtasana used to be introduced with intermediate poses, back in the day. That interview is worth the price of the book alone, Joanne Darby! Think that was the interview unless I've mixed them up, twenty- thirty interviews, twenty-thirty Ashtanga's, all different and all the same and all the better for it.
So one leg sequence
Ch IV. On One leg Yogasanas p87
44. trivikramasana p97
Highlights for me, engaging bandhas deeply in Bhairatasana, the squats in Vrikasana (also the low point, agony) Supposed to be able to come back up with control as well, you can see me try for a moment before bailing and putting my hands down.
I like the squat in Uttita hasta Padangushtasana, when I practice at home after coming up I let go and hold my leg out alla ashtanga (utthita hasta padasana), don't do it here because I'm trying to stick to the book and it's not in VK.
Virabharasana...... not good at it, Ramaswami made us go lower on the course, I try at home but played safe for the shot here. I like it when you come all the way up and get it just right, everything in a line, feels good.
Natajarasana is only hinted at in the video below as I hadn't done any backbend prep. I've done it better in the link above but can still only hold it for a breath or two, love the thought of one day being able to hold it for ten long, slow, steady breaths.
Durvasana, love the idea of it. I'm used to getting into it from seated, can't get my leg far enough over from standing without hopping all over the mat, played safe again here just to hint at it.
So, as evil as the triangle sequencee ( it too has lots of one leg squats ) but with more charm about it, no wonder the gods would pay attention. Didn't Siddhartha stand on his leg all night outside his fathers room so he would be allowed to leave the palace in Hesse's book.
One more thing, this is presented as a sequence and you can practice it like that, all in one go or you can divide it into subroutines as above and practice just one or more as part of your regular practice, perhaps rotating the subroutines over a week or so.
Also Tapas as a support for yama and niyamas
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.jp/2015/09/tapas-supports-yamas-and-niyamas-yamas.html