A one-sentence summary “insight” at the beginning of each chapter and two or three succinct “chapter reflections” at the end of each chapter function like runway lights for flying and landing with this insightful and personal book.
“Inner work is also outer work” is the insight at the head of chapter 20, “The Virtue of Self-Care.” Self-care is a frequent topic. An introduction sets the stage by explaining: “The inner child is our essence, a drop of the divine, and the way nature created us to be. The inner adult — our ego — is our personal manager, who negotiates the world outside. Over a lifetime, by internalizing our failures or peoples’ judgments of us or by comparing ourselves to others, the inner adult unconsciously wounds and rejects this deeper, truer self.” Thus, the book sets out to do inner work that will help each person heal and reclaim hurts and neglected parts of themselves.
The Chakra system is also discussed in these short chapters, as are concepts of psychotherapy, teachings of Carl Jung, the psycho-spiritual framework of Hinduism, and characters and stories from Indian mythology and folklore. For example, the author learns to invoke the presence of the Goddess Durga (“the strong side of the divine feminine”) when wisdom and courage are needed.
Ramaa Krishnan was born and raised in India, and tells the story of her discovery of Hinduism and Kundalini Yoga. Her stories include teachings of teachers who have helped her, including Pema Chodron, Elizabeth Lesser, and Wayne Dyer. And she writes about discovering the Bhagavad Gita in ways that will resonate with anyone who has ever been changed by immersing in scriptures or sacred writings. She explains this, among other places, in chapter 7: “The Gita speaks of a divine being who sees and loves us for who we are, but the spirit of the message had been lost. Somehow, I had ended up with a God who sought to control us through guilt and punishment.”
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One Love: An e-course for navigating life by heart.
