Life, Yoga and Cancer by David Danon
YOU CAN BE VICTORIOUS IN THE BATTLE OF LIFE!
Life is the arena. You could call it a battlefield or a stage as well. It is the environment in which we experience our existence as human beings. It comes with an incredibly diverse set of rules, regulations, and scenery. This depends on the location, culture, and many other factors into which we are born, and are seemingly out of our control.
Life comes with objectives and obstacles, allies and opponents, challenges, rewards, and punishments. All the qualities of a game or a battle. And all those qualities exist on three primary levels: physical, mental, and spiritual.
Yoga is the Ally and Weapon Available to You
There are means and methods available to help manage and improve our chances in the arena. An arsenal of tools and weapons if you will. Physical assets to help the body, such as health, strength, energy, and endurance. Mental/emotional qualities such as focus, clarity, calmness, persistence and compassion. Spiritual qualities built mostly around relationships and the quality of them on the three levels.
To the practicing yogi, those tools and weapons are yoga itself. Not only the physical exercise, which is a relatively small aspect of yoga but the entirety of yoga. It is an ancient science that was created to relieve human suffering.
The Opponents in the Three Realms – Physical, Mental, and Spiritual
Life can inflict many fierce opponents and enemies on us. There are physical scenarios such as injury and illnesses. There are the mental and emotional trials such as depression, addiction, anxiety, and destructive behavior. Through these constant distractions, the spirit suffers.
As an example of one of these types of opponents I have chosen cancer, however, this book is not about cancer specifically. That section gives an idea of the depth of research required to effectively deal with life’s significant challenges. This would be the same approach to any of the severe problems we encounter.
It is the approach of Sun Tsu in The Art of War. You must know the enemy very well.
With that said, the section on cancer could be considered a valuable primer on the fundamentals of the disease. It is presented in an easy to understand way and is useful knowledge to possess. Every person I know has been influenced by cancer either directly or indirectly, and yet many, many people know very little about it.
This book is not an instruction manual. It is not a “how to do yoga” book, although it explains things about yoga. It is not a “cure your cancer” book, although it has ideas and suggestions regarding cancer.
There are no checklists, recipes, or charts.
If you Have the Information, and do the Work, you can Succeed
This book consists of information, observation, and occasionally opinion. It is presented either directly or through stories. It is told from the viewpoint of a health-conscious, life-long yoga practitioner, who worked hard, tried to do everything right and still ended up having to fight the battle.
It is meant to inform, or possibly inspire the reader. Or maybe remind us of something we once valued but have forgotten. It is thoughts on life’s journeys from the viewpoint of a dedicated western yogi, living in the modern age.
"Ancient Wisdom Made Practical in the World of Quantum Physics" by David
Drawing from his decades of meditation and yoga teaching, David provides practical insights and a road map to a more aware and conscious life. We are not our thoughts, we are the viewer of our thoughts. As someone who personally has had a cancer diagnosis (notice I didn’t say I had cancer – some wisdom from the text), the book was particularly relevant. Life, Yoga and Cancer does not let us off easy, we still need to do the work, but the book is entertaining and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you, David for writing Life, Yoga and Cancer.
"with many great stories of the author's life" by numom626429
Sprinkled throughout, with many great stories of the author's life, as well as fantastic food for thought, this book proved to be the perfect read! I adore this man, and his writings, so I was thrilled when the book came out! I highly recommend it for anyone who likes to ponder greater meanings in their own lives, while at the same time enjoying David's "No Nonsense Approach" to navigating this thing called life, with its many ups and downs.