Authors Alan Finger and Peter Ferko are teacher and student.  Finger comes from the lineage of his father, Mani Finger, and many others, such as Swami Venkatesananda.  Ferko trained under Finger and eventually became a yoga and meditation teacher in his own right.  Both teach the method developed by Finger, ISHTA yoga.  As the book explains, ishta is a Sanskrit word meaning “appropriate practice,” but it also is an acronym representing the Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda.  

The main thrust of this book is presenting yoga beyond simply the physical postures (asana) as well as beyond the concept of mindfulness as a stand-alone practice.  The latter seems to be a particular sticking point with the authors, as they adopt a patronizing tone towards mindfulness.  In their definition of mindfulness, they describe it as “an English word serving as a catch-all” (p. 8) and then go on to minimize the years of scientific research that has focused on Jon-Kabat Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).  They also dismiss claims of mindfulness proponents such as journalist Dan Harris, author of the book Ten Percent Happier—which is based on his belief that mindfulness meditation enriched his life by about ten percent.  

Finger and Ferko postulate that much more is possible when one discovers one’s “genius.”  They suggest that the means to do this involves the last four limbs of the traditional eight-limb path to yoga outlined in the classical text by Patanjali, the Yoga Sutra.  The first four limbs describe ethical practices/observances, asana, and pranayama (breath control), whereas the second four are stages of meditation:  sensory withdraw, concentration, effortless concentration, and samadhi, which the authors translate as “a state of oneness” and which has also been termed nirvana.  The authors thus define genius as going beyond the senses to experience “consciousness not bound by the limits of the sensory mind” (p. 21).  They discuss this genius as a sense of inner knowing, providing an example from when Finger was a child—the anecdote alleges that Finger learned how photography works through meditation rather than instruction.

In Chapter 5, the authors present “An Individual Road to Genius.”  From Ayurveda (a “sister science” to yoga that is usually considered a form of holistic medicine), the authors review doshas, a three-point classification that describes one’s basic traits.  Chapter 6 introduces the physical practice of yoga (“Asana”) as a means to prepare for meditation.  This chapter discusses the system of energy centers in the body commonly referred to as the chakras, or what the authors term “seven segments.”  Black and white photographs of yoga postures are used to illustrate how these areas can be in or out of balance.  The asana chapter concludes with a “Preliminary Asana Practice,” a simple, well-rounded physical sequence that is likely to be accessible to most, including beginners.  

Chapter 7 “Pranayama,” is brief (4 pp), covering only the very basics of observing the breath, but further breathwork is incorporated into the following chapter, “Kriya Yoga.”  The authors describe Kriya Yoga as being essential to the ISHTA method, and they identify the four main elements as visualization, breath, mantra (sound), and intention.  The purpose of the kriyas is to shift energy in the body and to move beyond the senses.  The authors provide additional details on how kriyas work, the experience of samadhi, and the role of the chakras.

Part Four of the book, “Your Yoga Practice,” ties the teachings together in a practical way.  In particular, Chapter 11, “Your ISHTA Meditation Practice,” forms the core of the book.  Here the authors present a five step daily routine of about 20-30 minutes in length (they frequently emphasize their program’s efficiency in this regard, contrasting it to other approaches such as “days-long retreats”).  The first step is a “premeditative asana practice,” a short postural sequence that includes most of the yoga poses presented previously.  Next is a seated mediation that focuses on drawing in the senses, specifically via the breath observation practice known as apa japa; there are also two different exercises to attain left-right balance.  

Step 3 is the kriyas, with detailed instructions provided for three different kriya options: Sat Yam, Calling Your Name, and Ham Sa.  The kriyas are basically meditations which involve components of visualization, mantra, and sometimes a mudra (hand gesture) as well.  The kriyas are designed to help one reach samadhi, Step 4; the authors recommend remaining in samadhi for up to eighteen minutes.  The final step of the daily routine is called “artha vattva samyama,” which is a kind of step-by-step body scan combined with mudra and mantra.  The goal of this last step is to hold the meditative state while releasing samadhi and drawing the focus to intention.

In the final chapter, the authors briefly review the value of studying these techniques with a teacher, relying heavily on the traditional (and currently more controversial) guru model.  After concluding with the mantra “hari om tat sat” (which is never fully explained), there is a brief resource section connecting readers to works by the two authors.

As a psychologist, long-time yoga practitioner, and yoga teacher, I place high value on the practice of yoga in all its forms, including meditation.  I strongly believe in making yoga accessible to all, which means encouraging adoption of any parts which might be of use to the individual.  I found the dismissive attitude of the authors—particularly their depiction of mindfulness and related scientific research in this area—to be distasteful and verging on sanctimonious.  On the other hand, I appreciated the actual techniques presented in Chapter 11.  The kriya work was new to me, and I have already thought about how I could incorporate the first kriya, Sat Yam, into both my yoga classes and my therapy sessions.  I wish that the authors had put more effort into simply presenting their method rather than try to “sell” the reader on the superiority of their work.

Beth Cholette, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who provides psychotherapy to college students.

Categories: Wellness

Keywords: yoga, wellness