NISCHALA JOY DEVI is a master teacher and healer. For over 30 years she has been highly respected as an international advocate for her innovative way of expressing Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth and complete healing. 

She was graced to study with Yoga masters in US, India and worldwide and was a monastic disciple of the world renowned Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda and spent over 25 years receiving his direct guidance and teachings. During her time in the monastery she began to blend western medicine with yoga and meditation.  She then offered her expertise in developing the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease where she subsequently served for seven years as Director of Stress Management. She also co-founded the award-winning Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

With her knowledge of Yoga and her expertise in assisting those with life-threatening diseases, she created Yoga of the Heart®, a training and certification program for Yoga teachers and health professionals designed to adapt Yoga practices to the special needs of people living with Heart Disease, Cancer and other Life-Challenging Diseases.

The Healing Path of Yoga, now in its sixth printing, has become a classic text for Yoga Therapy.

The Abundant Well-Being CD Series, a perfect companion to The Healing Path of Yoga, allows these simple yet profound Yoga and stress-relieving techniques to be practiced at home, empowering each person on their journey to healing.

The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman’s guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras, now in its fourth printing and the Nautilus award-winning Audio-book of The Secret Power of Yoga, recreates the feminine heart perspective in spirituality and the scriptures.  www.AbundantWellBeing.com

Compassion  is Yoga

Compassion is the sacred energy that flows through the heart chakra to each and every living thing in the universe.  When accessed it allows us to feel a sense of onesness with all. 

As yoga students and teachers, compassion blossoms as our inner guidance.  It constantly reminds us that it is not the exactness of a technique that gives students the experience of Yoga, but the ability to access our own sacred energy.

Compassion is fostered by our personal experience through hardships, physical, mental or emotional or by perceiving with an open heart, others suffering.

The next time you have a slight injury or pain, allow the awareness of that discomfort to expand, embracing the many that live with chronic suffering on a permanent basis.  This consciousness greatly aids in the development of our compassion.

The great privilege of learning compassion in my life came through both of the ways described. As a child and young adult I had multiple infirmities.  Yet, my greatest gift of compassion came when I was able to share the great teachings of yoga with people who’s lives are intimately infused with pain and the fear that often accompanies it.

All the formulas and structures accrued dissolve as we embrace a person in their deepest suffering.  A prayer that the person is able to stand or bend without discomfort replaces the alignment once thought to be so important in asana.

Compassion is the catalyst that allows the great teachings to guide them in realizing that the physical body is the temple housing the Divine Self.

According to yoga philosophy disease manifests not from the physical, but from the disconnection with our source or spirit.  When we are able to remember who we are the healing is accelerated.

When we look to and study the reasons for this separation, the Kleshas Sutra II-3, Avidya Innocence of our true nature, is the prime cause of forgetting.  As compassionate beings our ability to help others is directly affected by our own belief in this most basic of concepts.

On a practical basis when teaching yoga to people with life threatening diseases, I use practices that embrace the totality of who we are physical, mental, emotion and spiritual being.

My initial entry into working with this population blossomed as I became more and more disillusioned with the western style of medicine.  In their need to specialize, the whole was often missed.  The separate parts became more important. From this narrowed view, the Divine within was forgotten.

Weaving the understanding of the miracle of the human body with the elegance of the spirit, allowed me to help create a new way of looking toward the whole person. 

This incident early on guided my view inward to the wholeness we long for. 

“Don’t tell me you have been in with a patient all this time, simply listening to her talk and comforting her when she cried.  That is a waste of time.  Keep that up and I will have to dismiss you from this Physican’s Assistant training program.”

This was the response from the department head after I was summoned, failing to report exactly on time after performing a procedure in a patient’s room.  

It was a moment of truth for me.  It happened  on my normal rounds one morning, walking into the hospital room of a woman with end stage cancer. She was six months pregnant had three other children and was very frightened and feeling alone. I was there to do some procedure; I can’t even remember what it was. As I started to take out the instruments, I glace up and our eyes met. At that moment, something happened. I could feel as shift in the room and in my heart.  Placing the instruments on the bedside table, I then enacted what my heart dictated. I got into bed with her and embraced her. We held each other, and wept.

Now many years later after completing my training in as a physician’s assistant, being involved in Medical research, studying and teaching Yoga, I have learned that certain methods, practices, diets and procedures work-much of the time. When they do we are so happy. But there are times, all our protocols, ideas and hypothesis’s just don’t get to the essence, the root. What do we do then?

After so many years of reflection I now realize that during the time I was accused of wasting time with the sweet young mother with cancer, was indeed Yoga.  The aspect of Yoga that is the depth of healing, that sooths as it heals, not only the patient, but the therapist, and ultimately the world.

The practices and philosophy of yoga blending the both physical and spiritual conjol them to unite.  Healing then happens.  This blend was put forth to develop the research protocol and study,  Dr. Dean Ornish’s Lifestyle Heart Trial and the Award winning Commonweal Cancer program. Both programs gave me a feeling of gratitude and a sense of contributing to bringing light into western medicine. 

The constant refinement and rediscovering of the yogic practices allows each person to gain the benefit of healing.  Often the healing was not a total physical cure, but a rebalancing of the energies that flows through the body, mind and emotions touching the spirit.  It affords everyone a sense of peace and clarity making decisions and changes based on their highest level of healing.

Yoga is the creation of a balance of energies that allows the natural intelligence of the body to right itself. It is for this reason that most of the gentle practices can positively affect any disease or imbalance.  It facilitates the alchemy by connecting hearts and souls, remembering that we are all ONE.

Deepen your connection to the earth and find new ways to care for her.

By Nischala Joy Devi

I have a fond memory from some years ago of accompanying my teacher Sri Swami Satchidananda, one of the 20th century’s great yoga masters, on a walk in the park.  I was one of three people walking behind him and I was enjoying the beauty of the day and the feel of the soft, slightly damp grass under my feet.  Realizing that many creatures were living in the earth beneath my feet, I was aware that my actions could be causing harm to them. As I was thinking about this, I noticed that as Swamiji lifted his foot before taking the next step, the grass perked back up.  Looking back at the grass I had just stepped on, it was flat.  Curious to see if it was the same for my companions, I glanced over at the others, who were also flattening the grass as they walked across it.

Perplexed, the three of us approached Swamiji  “Why is it,” we asked, “that when you walk on the grass it stands back up when you lift your foot, while the grass under our feet stays pressed to the earth?” A sweet, reverent expression came to his face, and he put his hand on his heart. “I have reverence for the earth and she knows it,” he said. “When I walk on her I feel I am walking on my mother’s bosom.”

I don’t know if I’ll ever fully understand what happened that day, but the incident illuminated for me how deeply you can alter your consciousness to love and respect the earth. Even now as I walk through the park or on the grass, I am conscious that the earth is my Mother.

Today, it seems almost everyone is aware of how human activity is harming our planet. You’re probably already doing many practical things to try to reduce your impact: recycling, driving less, buying “green” products, and so forth. If you want to go deeper, you can begin a practice of cultivating gratitude and reverence for the earth.  As that moment with Swamiji suggested, when your actions are fueled by an inner heart-centered consciousness, you can affect the larger world in innumerable positive ways.

Feel the connection
Too often, the habits of our everyday lives tend to cut us off from the earth. Yet the reality is that we are intimately joined to her. We are not just living on the earth, we are the earth—our bodies, after all, are made up of 70%TK water!

Focusing your attention on the everyday gifts that nature gives you can help you cultivate reverence. In my own life, just placing my feet on the floor to connect with the earth first thing in the morning fills me with gratitude. Splashing warm water on my face connects me to the water that flows all over the planet.  Drawing air deeply into my lungs as I glimpse the first rays of the sun brings a sense of joy, because fire, air, and prana have united in me.  In those first moments of waking I feel a deep connection and gratitude to the Earth. When we remember these connections with gratitude we can experience groundedness, a sense of belonging, and a feeling of abundant well being.

There are other connections, as well. The yogic tradition views the world as consisting of five elements: earth, air, water, fire, and ether.  Five of the chakras—whirling vortexes of energy in our subtle bodies—are considered to be direct reflections of those elements. One way to create a deeper sense of oneness with Mother Earth is by consciously choosing to take in energy from the elements of nature, while focusing on the chakras that correspond to the physical elements of the larger world.

When you do this, you draw the subtle energy of the element—be it (KEEP THE ORDER THE SAME-earth, water, fire, air,  or ether—into the corresponding chakra within yourself. As you do this, you are strengthening and enhancing your own chakras, as well as teaching yourself to experience more deeply that there is no separation between us and the planet; we are all truly one. As the Chandogya Upanishad says, “The essence of all beings is earth.”
Elemental truths
Muladhara Chakra corresponds to the Earth Element, which motivates you to attend to the basics of survival: food, clothing, shelter.  When connected with earth, you feel grounded, confident.  When disconnected you may experience fear or depression. To connect, stand on the earth without shoes and imagine roots coming out of the bottom of your feet going deep into the earth, drawing energy into your whole body. This will help you feel that you are part of the earth and she is part of you.

Swadhisthana Chakra relates to the Water Element, which directs the flow of emotions, passions, and creativity that bring harmony or disharmony with yourself and others.  Tap into this energy by soaking in a natural hot spring or enjoying healing water in your own personal bathtub or shower. Let the water purify your body, mind, and emotions.

Manipura Chakara mirrors the Fire Element.  Your power, intellect, and vitality, which relate to your place in the world and your sense of self-esteem, are fed by fire. Like a tree, you absorb the sun’s heat and transform it, using it to warm your body and ignite your intellect. Standing on the earth, stretch your arms and head upward and absorb the fire element; let it illuminate your entire being with happiness. Connecting to the fire element you are enhancing your power, intellect, and vitality.

Anahatha Chakra reflects the Air element. The air that you breathe inspires compassion, intuition and love.  The plants of the earth take in your carbon dioxide and give you pure oxygen.  Preserving them means they preserve you.  Standing on a hilltop, allow the power of the wind to embrace you. Breathe deeply as you feel life throbbing through you, empowering the heart to flow with intuition, compassion and love.

Vishuddha chakra consists of the Ether Element. The essence of your being, is ether or prana, or life force. Deep breathing unites earth and heaven within you, bringing you a feeling of freedom. Through breath and an openhearted reverence, prana and the spirit unite in gratitude and love for all.

Getting in touch with the earth in these ways can also remind you of the enduring strength of the natural world. When the reality of pollution and destruction seems overwhelming, this perspective can give you hope.

After a time, the communion of your body, mind, and emotions with the earth will bring a shift in your inner and outer worlds. It will help each of us find ways to heal Mother Earth. And with the healing of Mother earth, we, her children are healed. As William Wordsworth said, “Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher.”

NISCHALA JOY DEVI is the author of The Healing Path of Yoga and The Secret Power of Yoga. To learn more about her teachings, go to www.abundantwellbeing.com

SIDEBAR
Light up the world

Sit quietly as you take in a few deep inhalations and let them out very slowly.

Allow the breath to return to normal observe it as it slowly flows in and out.

Bring your awareness to the light in your heart, where the Divine spirit resides.

With each inhalation observe the light in the heart brighten.

On the exhalation, allow that light to flow out to the earth as love.

Allow the light to expand till it becomes the size of the heart; the whole body; and then let it fill the entire room.

As you inhale, the light brightens; on the exhalation, light flows to the world as love.

Allow the light to expand beyond the room and embrace each flower, tree, plant, and animal.

Let your love fill the streams, lakes, rivers and oceans, until it merges with the very core of our mother earth. 

Absorbing this love offering, she makes this healing energy available to all, soothing the entire world.

Slowly and gently begin to bring your awareness back to your own heart.
From now on, with every heartbeat, light and love are sent out as a wish of peace for all. 

N.J.D.

Keeping compassion and Yoga in Yoga and as Yoga Therapy Develops.

 According to yoga philosophy disease manifests not from the physical, but from the disconnection with our source or spirit.  When we are able to remember who we are the healing is accelerated.

Yoga is not an allopathic remedy that is used to fight disease, it the creation of a balance of energies that allows the natural intelligence of the body to right itself.  It is for this reason that most of the gentle practices can positively affect any disease or imbalance.

The constant refinement and rediscovering of the yogic practices allows each person to gain the benefit of healing.  Often the healing was not a total physical cure, but a rebalancing of the energies that flows through the body, mind and emotions.  It affords everyone a sense of peace and clarity making decisions and changes based on their highest level of healing.

All the formulas and structures accrued dissolve as we embrace a person in their deepest suffering.  A prayer that the person is able to stand or bend without discomfort replaces the alignment once thought to be so important in asana.

Weaving the understanding of the miracle of the human body with the elegance of the spirit, allowed me to help create a new way of looking toward the whole person. 

My initial entry into working with this population blossomed as I became more and more disillusioned with the western style of medicine.  In their need to specialize, the whole was often missed.  The separate parts became more important. From this narrowed view, the Divine within was forgotten.

On a practical basis when teaching yoga to people with life threatening diseases, I use practices that embrace the totality of who we are physical, mental, emotion and spiritual being.

The next time you have a slight injury or pain, allow the awareness of that discomfort to expand embracing the many that live with chronic suffering on a permanent basis.  This consciousness greatly aids in the development of our compassion.

Compassion is the sacred energy that flows through the heart chakra to each and every living thing in the universe.  When accessed it allows us to feel a sense of oneness with all. 
As yoga students and teachers, compassion blossoms as our inner guidance.  It constantly reminds us that it is not the exactness of a technique that gives students the experience of yoga, but the ability to access our own sacred energy.

Compassion is fostered by our personal experience through hardships, physical, mental or emotional or by perceiving with an open heart, others suffering.

Compassion is the catalyst that allows the great teachings to guide them in realizing that the physical body is the temple housing the Divine Self.

The practices and philosophy of yoga blended the both physical and spirit coaxing them to unite.  Healing then happens.  The work developed into a research study,  Dr. Dean Ornish’s Lifestyle Heart Trial and the Award winning Commonweal Cancer program. Both programs gave me a feeling of gratitude and a sense of contributing to bringing light into western medicine. 

            It scares me. I overheard someone in the elevator at the yoga therapy conference say that some people are saying that you should have a bachelor’s degree before you can be a yoga therapist.  I’m thinking that’s not to me what a yoga therapist is. 

            It’s becoming more and more academic, and if that’s what people think is yoga therapy, then who am I to say it’s not?  I just know that when I sit with someone, they don’t care what kind of degree I have; they don’t care what kind of study I did, they just care if I’m present with them, if I’m peaceful and if I love them. 
But it’s the American way, what’s happening here and with yoga in this country. To a certain extent I’m part of it, and to a certain extent I refuse to be part of it. 

Yoga of the Heart came from my research and work of many years with the Dean Ornish Program for people with heart disease and also as co founder of the Commonweal Cancer Program. Yoga of the Heart,  was designed to teach Yoga Teachers and Health Professionals how to safely adapt Yoga for people who have life threatening diseases, especially Heart disease and Cancer.  It seems that with all the education Yoga teachers are now getting and the extensive anatomy and Physiology courses there knowledge bases is mainly with the Muscular Skeletal systems.  Since statically one out of every two people in the US will die from Heart Disease it seems to me a very important aspect for Yoga teachers to learn about Cardiac Health.  So many students come to regular classes, with risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history unknown to the teachers.  I feel it is essential for all Yoga teachers to know how to safely teach these people and prevent problem in the classroom and at home.  On the most positive side, Yoga has been proven to reverse and prevent Cardio-Vascular Disease wouldn’t it be great if  we could  make a difference in helping these people heal their disease and life? 
The heart is truly the center of our being.  When it is revered all life is joy.  When we have joy in our life a deep feeling of peace is reflected on everything we are and do.

In English the work for heart is physical, emotional and spiritual, implying that one is interdependent on the other.  When we are connected to our spiritual heart it feed the other hearts.  This is the definition of true health.