054. The Yoga Sutras with Nischala Joy Devi

NISCHALA JOY DEVI is a masterful teacher and healer. For many 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. Her dynamic delivery and deep inner conviction empower each individual, allowing the teachings to expand beyond boundaries and limitations of any one tradition enabling her to touch people’s hearts. 

She was graced to spend over 25 years as a monastic disciple with the world-renowned Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidanandaji, receiving his direct guidance and teachings. She also was blessed with teachings from great Yoga masters in US, India and worldwide.

Originally trained in Western medicine, she began to blend western medicine with Yoga, offered her expertise in developing the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease, and co-founded the award-winning Commonweal Cancer Help Program. Her book “The Healing Path of Yoga,” and her Abundant WellBeing Audio Series expresses these teachings. 

With her knowledge of yoga and her experience in assisting those with life-threatening diseases (particularly people with heart disease and cancer), 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 that population.

She is now dedicated to bringing the Feminine back into spirituality and the scriptures, in her book, The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman’s guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras and Secret Power of Yoga Audiobook Nautilus Book Silver Award Winner! Understanding the need for more love and compassion in today’s world, The Namaste Effect: Expressing Universal Love through the Chakras, her most recent book, explores a heart-centered way of living through the mystical chakras.

In this episode:

• Jivana talks about Nischala being one of his first teachers
• Nischala created the yoga portion of the Dean Ornish Heart Disease Reversal Program, which was the first to integrate yoga in the west. 
• Nischala’s four books:
• The Healing Path of Yoga
• The Namaste Effect
• Meditation in the Yoga Tradition
• The Secret Power of Yoga - Revised Edition comes out May 2022
• Nischala discussed founding the IAYT - International Association of Yoga Therapists
• Her revised edition of The Secret Power of Yoga - a translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
• She recently translated the 3rd and 4th Pada (chapters) which are usually not studied because they’re very esoteric
• She discussed Pada 3, which focused on siddhis (powers)
• The fourth chapter is the Kaivalya Pada, which is the chapter on Isolation
• She discusses her work in yoga therapy for people with heart disease and cancer