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Creative Use of Emotion

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A master of yoga collaborates with an American-trained psychologist in presenting this practical, holistic perspective on the role of emotions in the development of consciousness. They explain how we can all expand our consciousness from a state of conflict, confusion, and emotionalism to the experience of greater joy and harmony. Many facets of this developmental process are described, along with methods that lead to emotional maturity and expanded consciousness.

162 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

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About the author

Swami Rama

144 books211 followers
Swāmī Rāma was born Brij Kiśore Dhasmana or Brij Kiśore Kumar,to a northern Indian Brahmin family in a small village called Toli in the Garhwal Himalayas. From an early age he was raised in the Himalayas by his master Bengali Baba and, under the guidance of his master, traveled from temple to temple and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster, who was living in a remote region of Tibet. From 1949 to 1952 he held the prestigious position of Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India. After returning to his master in 1952 and practising further for many years in the Himalayan caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his teacher to go to the West, where he spent a considerable portion of his life teaching, specifically in the United States and Europe.
He is especially notable as one of the first yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists.
Swami Rama authored several books in which he describes the path he took to becoming a yogi and lays out the philosophy and benefits behind practices such as meditation. One of the common themes expressed in such books as "Enlightenment Without God" and "Living with the Himalayan Masters" is the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for a structured religion. He was critical of the tendency for yogis to use supernatural feats to demonstrate their enlightenment, arguing that these only demonstrated the ability to perform a feat.

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Karen Christino.
Author 10 books80 followers
May 30, 2021
Creative Use of Emotion describes the philosophy of yoga as very different from western ideals. The two authors – one originally from India and the other from the U.S. – combine their expertise in yoga and psychology to advise on ways to consider and handle challenging emotions.

The west places a greater emphasis on external freedoms, while the east embraces inner freedom. Yoga also emphasizes living in harmony with the natural order, which leads to peace, happiness and comfort with our responsibilities in life. This book was written over forty years ago but its ideas are timeless. I found the concepts illuminating, clearly presented and uplifting. The mental discipline of yoga isn’t natural to western culture, and it would take years of dedicated practice to develop the mind as described. But beginning to do so would be helpful. Reading Creative Use of Emotion is a first step in the process. Read the full review on my blog: https://karenchristino.com/creative-u...
Profile Image for Andromeda.
226 reviews8 followers
April 30, 2023
It is a short book of only 162 pages, no doubt, but it is no mean book that can be read at one sitting, or, perhaps even, within a day. If anyone wants to profit from the authors' thoughts, valuable insights and wisdom, he has to study every chapter with absolute concentration.

That, however, does not imply that the text is heavy going --- on the contrary, it is delightfully easy to understand given that one of the authors is a spiritual heavyweight and another is a practising clinical psychologist.

In spite of their background, they have kept Creative Use of Emotion trimmed and pruned, free from technical lexicon and abstruse concepts that are usually the warp and weft of specialised works. As it has often been said, unless one knows one's subject matter, one will be incapable of expressing one's thoughts in a language that everyone understands.

Hence, for two principal reasons, this book a must-read --- one, it is packed with so much information that is invaluable to everyone who is desirous of making sense of life's vicissitudes, of its seeming voidness, and the many quandaries in which he often finds himself. Two, the opinions in the text are not from some spiritual manqué or from a tyro who has carpentered the book for money: the authors are past masters in their own fields of expertise.

Swami Rama is not a common hermit or recluse who dishes out spiritual pabulum --- his theories had been tested under clinical conditions, and he had been vindicated several times. Swami Ajaya systematically disheveles and disassembles the Western neophytic approaches to human psychology, laying it bare, exposing its limitations, underlining its varied scientific superstitions and primitiveness. He does this not with vindictiveness but with scientific honesty. In this respect, chapter two on self-identity and chapter three on how our minds and lives are informed by suggestions are of particular interest.

I should strongly recommend this book to any discerning reader who wants to find out how we have all been kept in docile and abject submission, without recourse to home truths that will set us all free from the thraldom of misinformation about our short but meaningful sojourn on the little celestial rock called earth.
Profile Image for Nicole Taylor.
Author 1 book11 followers
July 24, 2013
As someone who experiences the world in technicolor, and who also is on the path of yoga, I have often felt that being so emotional was a huge stumbling block. Thank God for this book, in which Swami Rama breaks down the source of emotion and how to use that energy to support rather than thwart expansion. For any other sensitive yogis, for whom the suggestion to watch your reactions is akin to someone asking you to sit still while a bomb explodes in your ear, this book has the goods. And as always, when reading a book from the Himalayan Institute, the information is presented with such amazing compassion and love.
Profile Image for Edy.
237 reviews11 followers
April 8, 2008
"During those unhappy periods when we feel unable to cope, we are the most open to new growth. For it is in such times that we look for a therapist or a spiritual guide. In this sense our most difficult and painful moments can be the most beneficial." (72)
Profile Image for VanessaFaye.
30 reviews4 followers
April 9, 2008
I never finished reading this. I ended up underlining things for a report and picking it apart! some interesting stuff in there anyway.
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