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The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras
Yoga is well known for its power to create a healthy body, but few realize the emotional and spiritual benefits. In The Secret Power of Yoga, world-renowned Yoga expert Nischala Joy Devi interprets Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the principles at the basis of Yoga practice, from a heart-centered, intuitive, feminine perspective, resulting in the first translation intended for women.
Devi’s simple, elegant, and deeply personal interpretations capture the spirit of each sutra, and her suggested practices offer numerous ways to embrace the spirituality of Yoga throughout your day
Devi’s simple, elegant, and deeply personal interpretations capture the spirit of each sutra, and her suggested practices offer numerous ways to embrace the spirituality of Yoga throughout your day
301 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
May 9, 2010
This book represents what Devi refers to as a more compassionate "heart" translation and commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, with an eye towards how the sutras can be viewed from a woman's perspective.
She offers practical explorations of the sutras and how they can enrich everyday life, which I like, and also provides experiential exercises at the end of each section of sutras.
I would emphasize, however, that while Devi says that she is exploring yoga philosophy from a "woman's perspective," it is certainly not a feminist perspective. At best, she points out ways in which the sutras have been interpreted in the past that villainize women and tried to justify their subjugation, while showing that the sutras themselves don't support this.
At her worst, though she subscribes to a number of thin and limiting ideas about what a woman's perspective is and what a man's perspective is, and it seems to me that her worldview cheats both genders.
She takes it to be a given, common-sense fact that women are "naturally" more nurturing, compassionate, emotional, soft, and so on in the tired tradition of all misogynist definitions of women that pretend to elevate when they really just weaken. She mentions an asana adaptation she makes for women in her classes as an example of "honoring" the female perspective, in which she turns the peacock posture into a less difficult "peahen" pose that she feels is better suited to the female body. She makes the implication that to try to do the male version of this pose would be out of balance with nature and would cause problems.
Men also suffer in this interpretation, because although she claims in the same matter-of-fact way that men are naturally more rational and logical (which is ridiculous and simultaneously insults women), she devalues logic and reason, and then lists other "innate" characteristics men share as violence, anger, dominance and so forth.
In short, I think her view of gender greatly damaged what could otherwise have been a useful and heartfelt guide to the sutras, and I hope that in future editions, she and her editors will consider ways to offer yoga to women in a way that allows them to expand into whatever roles fit them best, rather than telling them to stick to and relish traditional gender roles that many women find limiting and dismissive. It also sells men short, and I would hope that in yoga-the practice of unity-we would find ways to build women up without tearing men down to do it.
She offers practical explorations of the sutras and how they can enrich everyday life, which I like, and also provides experiential exercises at the end of each section of sutras.
I would emphasize, however, that while Devi says that she is exploring yoga philosophy from a "woman's perspective," it is certainly not a feminist perspective. At best, she points out ways in which the sutras have been interpreted in the past that villainize women and tried to justify their subjugation, while showing that the sutras themselves don't support this.
At her worst, though she subscribes to a number of thin and limiting ideas about what a woman's perspective is and what a man's perspective is, and it seems to me that her worldview cheats both genders.
She takes it to be a given, common-sense fact that women are "naturally" more nurturing, compassionate, emotional, soft, and so on in the tired tradition of all misogynist definitions of women that pretend to elevate when they really just weaken. She mentions an asana adaptation she makes for women in her classes as an example of "honoring" the female perspective, in which she turns the peacock posture into a less difficult "peahen" pose that she feels is better suited to the female body. She makes the implication that to try to do the male version of this pose would be out of balance with nature and would cause problems.
Men also suffer in this interpretation, because although she claims in the same matter-of-fact way that men are naturally more rational and logical (which is ridiculous and simultaneously insults women), she devalues logic and reason, and then lists other "innate" characteristics men share as violence, anger, dominance and so forth.
In short, I think her view of gender greatly damaged what could otherwise have been a useful and heartfelt guide to the sutras, and I hope that in future editions, she and her editors will consider ways to offer yoga to women in a way that allows them to expand into whatever roles fit them best, rather than telling them to stick to and relish traditional gender roles that many women find limiting and dismissive. It also sells men short, and I would hope that in yoga-the practice of unity-we would find ways to build women up without tearing men down to do it.
June 29, 2018
For anyone interested in studying yoga beyond the physical representations in a class, this is a wonderful rendition of the sutras from a heart-centered perspective. Joy Devi presents not just an updated interpretation of the sutras, but also perspective on how the various previous translations from Sanskrit were dominated by both masculine and western-centric perspectives, somewhat adulterating the original source of divinity within the sutras. Joy Devi argues that women are, by nature, compassionate, heart-centered beings whose power derives from humility and open-mindedness. She equates this to the devotional aspects of the spiritual practices of yoga as devotion is often equated with compassion. She also presents other salient points such as the physical practices (asanas) need to be adapted to women on an anatomical level (i.e., different size and positioning of the pelvis changes the center of gravity point). Also, she presents the classic eight-limbed path of Ashtanga Yoga from a perspective of reverence rather than fear. For example, ahimsa is often interpreted as "non-harming" or "non-violence" which implies it is within our nature to have a foundation of darkness. She proposes that a feminine interpretation of ahimsa equates to "reverence and love for all", invoking a sense that it is within our nature to be compassionate rather than harming. I also love her commentary on celibacy and continence often interpreted in the sutras: "For centuries the origin of women's power has been a mystery to men, and they have done much to try and capture it through representation, possession, and various tedious sexual practices. As we respect and esteem the vital energy, we are humbled to realize it holds the power to create another human being." (200) Reading this interpretation of the sutras, one feels nurtured to explore rather than commanded to comply.
February 13, 2018
Throughout yogic studies and teacher trainings, the Yoga Sutras never particularly resonated for me and having read Nischala Joy Devi's translation, I now understand why. Her translation is from a heart-centered perspective, using positive language.
For example, instead of asteya as non-stealing, instead of telling us what not to do, Devi instead suggests "what to do", so asteya becomes generosity or honesty or integrity.
"What many of us find lacking in the Yoga Sutras lies in their translations, written by and for male scholars from a left-brained, analytical perspective, often obliterating the wisdom they attempt to convey."
Highly recommended as a translation of the Sutras with more heart, and less preaching.
For example, instead of asteya as non-stealing, instead of telling us what not to do, Devi instead suggests "what to do", so asteya becomes generosity or honesty or integrity.
"What many of us find lacking in the Yoga Sutras lies in their translations, written by and for male scholars from a left-brained, analytical perspective, often obliterating the wisdom they attempt to convey."
Highly recommended as a translation of the Sutras with more heart, and less preaching.
March 27, 2025
That moment when you are so absurdly self unaware, you make your opponents case for you. While she drones on about the spiritual patriarch, she actually openly contradicts herself multiple times, changes words to suit her own agenda, and completely rewrites known and accepted spiritual truths to make the easier to follow or something. It's as if this book was written by her opponents as a joke to show what would happen if she got her way. Smh this was a truly silly, dangerous, and disrespectful book to anyone taking spirituality seriously.
June 17, 2009
This book took me a few months to finish; not because it was thick and wordy -- but, because it was saturated with insights. This book does not contain the classic yoga sutras (there are other books for that, and she is quick to point that out). These are the sutras as interpreted by Nischala Joy Devi, an elder in the yoga community in the US. She filters the sutras through the heart and her experiences on the path of yoga to provide us with a map. She takes complicated Sanskrit terms and concepts and melts them down into a digestible format. This is a resource to keep on the shelf and refer to as you continue on your path.
September 20, 2016
This book is a rethinking of the yoga sutras. She rewrites the sutras of the first two books in her own words and then interprets them and tells anecdotes describing her viewpoint. She also offers meditation exercises to help put into practice what she is trying to explain.
I enjoyed this book. I read it very slowly. It's a great way to read the sutras from a woman's point of view and experience them.
I enjoyed this book. I read it very slowly. It's a great way to read the sutras from a woman's point of view and experience them.
Read
January 27, 2017It's a good book. Having gone through the sutras a bunch of times with different books, there is nothing new here. However, I like how it's a good way to go through it slowly and take time to do the "self projects". So while I'm working on in depth notes with the other sutras, this one I'm just reading bit by bit.
January 14, 2024
Great explanation of the sutras and interesting insights. But I did not agree with the authors characterization of women in many cases (i.e., as natural nurturers, as dealing with stress and danger differently than men, as more compassionate by nature).
June 23, 2022
I found this book to be enlightening and enjoyable to read.
August 18, 2020
I love Devi so I thought I'd like this book a great deal more than I ended up? It's a 'translation' of the Sutras of Patanjali with a sort of 'feminine' focus.
Yeah, I mean, first off, in 2020 I'm sure someone's screaming that that's problematic, because it reduces gender to immutable characteristics--to be a 'woman' for the purposes of this book is to a) inhabit a female body b) be nurturing, soft, compassionate, focus on taking care of others, etc.
But whatever, I'm not a mental toddler so I can say, yeah, this is actually just a convenient label for a cluster of traits that Western society tends to denigrate--we tend to worship yang and not reward yin. So I am all for the idea of these yin qualities being brought to the sutras.
And for that, the book does not disappoint. It offers regular correctives to the very yang reading of the sutras. For example, in her discussion of the yamas, she tends to avoid the negative definitions (ahimsa nonviolence, asteya nonstealing) because, she states, that focusing on those negatives make it seem like that's our fallen gross human nature--that without the yamas, we'd be violent and steal (very Hobbesian stuff, really). In her feminine reading, Devi focuses on the heart centered idea--that we're basically good and should focus more on what qualities we DO want to embody, (compassion, generosity for ahimsa and asteya for example) and concentrate on what we don't want.
The book drags quite a bit, and I'll be honest, some of her anecdotes are pretty cringe. Like, oh she realizes that grape pickers often don't work under the best conditions so to practice the yamas, she goes on a march with grape pickers because doncha know you should feel guilty about grapes!
Um. I hate to break it to you, Nisch, but it's not just grape pickers. I mean, as a former apple picker, I can ask where our march is? We don't get paid much better and apple picking is more dangerous than grapes.
And self-congratulating because you spent an hour of your life on a protest march that likely accomplished nothing..... yeah that's weak sauce. That's everything I hate about protest marches--a bunch of clueless white women yell holding signs and take lots of selfies (or insert the story in a book) to show how much they *care*. Nauseating.
So she was actually at her weakest when she talked about her own life--her anecdotes are pretty weak and she repeats several unresearched chestnuts, including quotes not actually said by the people she claims they were.
It was a good book, but coming off her first book, which I absolutely dogeared, this was just...disappointing?
Yeah, I mean, first off, in 2020 I'm sure someone's screaming that that's problematic, because it reduces gender to immutable characteristics--to be a 'woman' for the purposes of this book is to a) inhabit a female body b) be nurturing, soft, compassionate, focus on taking care of others, etc.
But whatever, I'm not a mental toddler so I can say, yeah, this is actually just a convenient label for a cluster of traits that Western society tends to denigrate--we tend to worship yang and not reward yin. So I am all for the idea of these yin qualities being brought to the sutras.
And for that, the book does not disappoint. It offers regular correctives to the very yang reading of the sutras. For example, in her discussion of the yamas, she tends to avoid the negative definitions (ahimsa nonviolence, asteya nonstealing) because, she states, that focusing on those negatives make it seem like that's our fallen gross human nature--that without the yamas, we'd be violent and steal (very Hobbesian stuff, really). In her feminine reading, Devi focuses on the heart centered idea--that we're basically good and should focus more on what qualities we DO want to embody, (compassion, generosity for ahimsa and asteya for example) and concentrate on what we don't want.
The book drags quite a bit, and I'll be honest, some of her anecdotes are pretty cringe. Like, oh she realizes that grape pickers often don't work under the best conditions so to practice the yamas, she goes on a march with grape pickers because doncha know you should feel guilty about grapes!
Um. I hate to break it to you, Nisch, but it's not just grape pickers. I mean, as a former apple picker, I can ask where our march is? We don't get paid much better and apple picking is more dangerous than grapes.
And self-congratulating because you spent an hour of your life on a protest march that likely accomplished nothing..... yeah that's weak sauce. That's everything I hate about protest marches--a bunch of clueless white women yell holding signs and take lots of selfies (or insert the story in a book) to show how much they *care*. Nauseating.
So she was actually at her weakest when she talked about her own life--her anecdotes are pretty weak and she repeats several unresearched chestnuts, including quotes not actually said by the people she claims they were.
It was a good book, but coming off her first book, which I absolutely dogeared, this was just...disappointing?
October 15, 2018
This book has a lot of good reframings but I have to nitpick two exercises in which she actively encourages dishonesty with friends as a somehow superior spiritual path, including one where she casually encourages you to record a conversation with a friend WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT. It raised a huge red flag for me about her worldview in general and made me less able to engage with her analysis. If someone asks you a direct question seeking your feedback (the other example) and you are dishonest, I see that as a pretty clear betrayal of the other persons request, and a prioritization of your own values over what the other person specifically asked you for, which was honest feedback. /endrant
February 19, 2021
My rating comes from the perspective of one who is a committed student of yoga, a yoga instructor, and a yoga therapist in training. Outside of that realm, the book may not be appreciated for what it is. And I read it twice, once with my book club....within 6 or 7 weeks. If that had been the only reading, I probably wouldn't have given it more than 3 stars. And by the author's own advice, that's not the way it was meant to be read. It's best to make it part of a meditation practice and to read it in the way the author has instructed it to be read. So I began it again 3 or 4 months ago and I'm about 2/3 through it. That has made all of the difference. It's powerful and life changing.
July 9, 2022
This book was required reading for a class I am taking. It is a personal account and the writing is good. I found the story to be insightful and somewhat inspiring. The author shares a lot of herself in order to be in service to others. The Secret Power of Yoga met my expectations and I understand why it was chosen as required reading. The author explains the sutras in a relatable style that helps women students in particular to find their way. I would recommend this book to students of Yoga. This book should be one of many resources for understanding the material.
October 29, 2017
I was a bit surprised that this book was a "Woman's Guide," but put forth some big stereotypes about women. It assumes that all women are more nurturing and motivated by love than men. The book also had a few too many examples to explain basic premises for me. If you can get past those things, it was a decent delve into the yoga sutras. It also also contained the yoga sutras themselves at the end of the book.
December 7, 2020
A valuable addition to my yoga library. I read this slowly, a few pages at a time, over several weeks, reflecting and journaling on the thoughts it inspired. I've read other translations of the Yoga Sutras, but Devi's approach resonated with me deeply. Abide in joy became my mantra. Try chanting it. There were a few examples and assumptions about women that I found off-putting, but overall I loved it.
February 25, 2021
Read for my yoga teaching course. Very helpful way to read through the Yoga Sutras (teachings, kind of like Christian proverbs) and hear her translation and perspective on how to apply them. A lot of wisdom packed in! I got a little bogged down halfway through because a lot started sounding circular, but I think that is because I was reading too fast more than anything. Very centering and calming way to think about life, yoga, meditation and nonattachment.
June 24, 2020
If you know Nischala, she is a true being of light and joy. I love her uncomplicated guide to the sutras. She brings wisdom and understanding to her writing. I found that this book helps you to apply and incorporate the sutras into your life without the judicious study of the sutras which accompanies many of the other translations and texts.
January 15, 2023
This a different and beautiful approach to the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali from a woman’s point of you. Written in a clear and approachable language, it offers many points for self-exploration and pondering. The exercises at the end of each chapter are useful to help the reader reach a deeper level of awareness.
March 1, 2024
Ive read a few books on yoga philosophy but this one was by far the one I struggled with most to read. I liked the idea of reading a book more from a feminists point of view on the yoga sutras, but it was not a simple book to read. I gave up at 30%. Maybe I’ll pick it up again one day, but for now I’m giving it up.
March 13, 2024
I've been loving my yoga classes at the gym and wanted to know more about the basic teachings and spiritual practices of yoga. I loved the way the author explained the sutras. I also loved that she had a woman's perspective. I definitely recommend this book if you want to learn more about the spiritual basics of yoga.
May 28, 2017
I loved the feminine take on the traditionally overtly masculine Sutras. She further took this perspective into scriptures from other religions, signifying the wholeness of universal spiritual practice.
May 3, 2021
Understandable, easy breakdown of the Sutras
A nice read, easily understandable and alternative perspective which personally resonated with me and I enjoyed the practical implementation sections at the end of each chapter.
A nice read, easily understandable and alternative perspective which personally resonated with me and I enjoyed the practical implementation sections at the end of each chapter.
September 25, 2022
Great book and much needed - female, gentle and heart centered interpretation of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. What I like most about this book is that the Sutras are written in a positive way (what we aim to be, do or create rather than what we want to avoid). Highly recommended!
September 9, 2017
Read in pieces, a book to reread many times. Made the Sutras more accessible.
August 26, 2018
Apparently I need to become more enlightened, because this was frequently well beyond my grasp. It did, however, further my desire to learn more about the intricacies of a meaningful yoga practice.
March 7, 2019
I initially didn't care for it. But I began to appreciate the information she shared.
I found this book a useful addition to my yoga teacher training this year.
I found this book a useful addition to my yoga teacher training this year.
March 12, 2019
A great book to revisit and use as a reference. It breaks down the sutras into more digestible portions and relates them to the feminine side. Will definitely reread!
June 14, 2019
Amazing because it is translated by a women. I’m not interested in old spiritual text that treat women like property. And she finds the value in the text and made it not sexist.
December 24, 2019
I will be reading this book many, many more times and I can’t wait to dig into it even deeper.
January 11, 2020
Phenomenal translation of the Yoga Sutras from a heart centered approach.
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