A study published in the February issue of Journal of Gerontological Nursing, (33) 3. 17-23, authored by Shirley Telles and M.N. Krishnamurthy of the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, compared a wait-listed group of older adults in a senior residence with an Ayurvedic intervention consisting of herbs taken daily for six months and a yoga protocol consisting of seven hours and thirty minutes a week of asansa, relaxation, pranayama, mantra and lectures.  Subjects were measured for levels of depression before then at three-month and six-month follow-ups.  Only those in the yoga program showed a significant decrease in depression. 

The introduction offers a simple explanation of nonduality as it is variously understood in the three major wisdom traditions in which it is most clearly expressed-Advaita Vedanta, Kashmiri Shaivism, and Dzogchen Zen.  The essays themselves, written by psychotherapists and wisdom teachers, take inspiration from these traditions, as well as Jewish, Islamic, and Christian mysticism.  Many of these writer/clinician/teachers compare Western psychological theory and concepts like Intersubjectivity, neutrality, and empathic attunement with nondual strategies and concepts like unconditional presence, nondual realization, and pure listening. 

As co-editor Ken Bradford suggests in his essay, "From Neutrality to the Play of Unconditional Presence," the "unconditional presence" of the therapist is both "open and intimate."  This is very different from the "neutral stance" of psychoanalysis.  Whether the essayist calls it "pure listening," "unconditional presence," or "spacious intimacy," as does John Prendergast, in his essay by that title, what these clinicians provide, as Judith Blackstone describes in her essay, is a spacious and intimate container in which freedom from out "rigid organizations of experience," may be possible.  When therapists practice "pure listening" as suggested by Peter Fenner in his essay, "Listening and Speaking from No-Mind," and are "not so empathic or active in our listening that we actively encourage the speaker in continuing in her mental constructs," they are offering that freedom.

The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart & Spirit of the Yoga Sutras by Nischala Joy Devi.  New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007.

 

"Embracing the spirit of the Sutras, rather than the literal meaning," says Nischala Devi in the introduction, "allows me to integrate the sacred teachings at a much deeper level."  Devi's perspective offers the reader a contemplative and heart-centered experience of the Sutras.  Her approach is intuitive rather than scholarly, and it requires of the reader a willingness to break from traditional, linear reading in order to follow her as she weaves other sacred texts and even prayer into a consideration of the Sutras in Pada I & II.  One of the most interesting of these unusual connections is linking the ancient Gayatri Mantra, which is the universal prayer to the divine feminine as light, to all the wisdom and practices of Kriya Yoga.  "Repetition of the mantra," says Devi, "channels its vibratory meaning directly to the heart."  Such repetition is recommended as a way of deeply understanding the first Sutra in Pada II-Tapas Swadhyaya Iswara Pranidhana Kriya Yoga.  

 

 

This is a personal book in a number of ways.  First, Devi includes anecdotes from her own life and the lives of her students to enliven her interpretation.  We learn of her journey that began as a Hatha Yoga student at the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco to her pivotal meeting with her teacher, Swami Satchadananda, who awakened her heart.  It's also a personal book in that each sutra or cluster of sutras is followed, not only by a commentary, but also by a complementary spiritual practice.  The suggested practices provide greater access to the given sutra's present meaning for the reader.

Where previous interpretations have taken a Ten Commandment-like admonishing perspective in translating the Yamas as hindrances or restraints, Devi takes a more nondual perspective, cultivating the opposite of that which is warned against.  So, for example, asteya, often translated as non-stealing, becomes "generosity and honesty."  Elsewhere vairagya, often translated as non-attachment, becomes "remembering the self."  Where other translations speak of controlling or stilling the fluctuations of the mind, as in the most common understanding of Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodaha, Devi speaks of uniting.  "Yoga is the uniting of consciousness in the heart."  Not a literal translation, but one that may speak to many of us as we seek to align our thinking with our feelings, and quiet both in the awakening of our hearts. 

The Secret Power of Yoga integrates inspiration from the wisdom of the world's spiritual traditions.  Throughout, Devi quotes from Lord Buddha, Rumi, the Dalai Lama, Rabbi Hillel, and many other teachers.  This is a book to be savored, not only as a guide to understanding the classic philosophical foundation of Yoga to be found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, but for the perspective and practices that awaken the heart.

· 75 minute video (DVD) practice, led by Amy Weintraub
· 12 Programmable Chapters shot in HD
· Original music by William Chapman + Music from Krishna Das, MJ Bindu Delekta
· Includes a Study Guide booklet
· Shot on-location in Tucson, AZ by Emmy- award winning Director of Photography, Dan Duncan.

Introduction
Joint Warm-ups
Centering Meditation
Breathing Exercises
Warm-up Poses
Cultivating Will: Standing Poses
Will and Willingness: Backbending Poses
Will and Surrender: Forward Bends and Twists
Surrender: Yoga Nidra

This unique DVD showcases the integrative practice of LifeForce Yoga® designed especially for mood management. Invite Amy into your home to lead you through comprehensive breathing techniques, toning, and postures to awaken your physical energy and calm your busy mind.

Shot on location in Tucson, Arizona, Amy invites practitioners into the loving embrace of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kwan Yin, "she who hears the cries of the world." In the sacred space Amy creates, students begin to feel and safely experience their bodies and their emotions. The practice culminates with yoga nidra, or deep relaxation, in which participants integrate the experience and return to full wakefulness feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

For more information and to order, please visit Amy's web site: http://www.yogafordepression .com