Laya
The steady flow and pace of musical time.
Laya concerns the spacing and continuity of the pulse. Broad tempo descriptions include vilambita (slow), madhyama (medium) and druta (fast).
Keep the pulse distinct from the notes
A musician can sing more notes within each beat while the underlying pulse stays steady. That increases the density of the musical surface without necessarily increasing the tala's tempo.
Try clapping an even pulse, first saying one syllable per clap and then two. The clap spacing should remain unchanged.