Julie Greiner-Ferris - The Yoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety: Total Relief for Mind and Body

Relax the body, clear the mind, and act against what you foolishly fear. Thats how to free yourself from anxiety. This book describes how to do it. Greiner-Ferris and Khalsa blend a pleasant yoga relaxation program with Eastern wisdom and cognitive behavioral ways of knowing and doing that interested readers can easily follow to free themselves from needless anxieties and lead an enlightened life.

BillKnaus, EdD, author of TheCognitiveBehavioralWorkbookforAnxiety

Greiner-Ferris and Khalsa build on years of evidence to present their readers with a six-week program to reduce anxiety. TheYoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety is filled with great ideas for decreasing anxiety and living a more productive life! The step-by-step yoga, meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) strategies are practical, straightforward, and helpful. I highly recommend this book for anyone who experiences anxiety, is a mental health provider, or is a yoga practitioner or teacher.

EllenTuchman, PhD, associate professor and coordinator of the Evidence-Based Mental Health Project at the New York University Silver School of Social Work

Julie Greiner-Ferris and Manjit Kaur Khalsa have created a breakthrough approach to treating anxiety with TheYoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety. This workbook presents a seamless integration of researched, cutting-edge mind-body techniques and traditional therapeutic approaches. These techniques are for everyone, and illustrate that the mind-body connection is the most powerful way to address both the mental and physical aspects of anxiety.

HariKaurKhalsa, author of AWomans Book of Meditation, coauthor of AWomans Book of Yoga, and Kundalini yoga teacher, trainer, and owner at Hari NYC

Blending yoga and CBT is genius. The transformation among my clients has been significant. As a clinician who runs yoga-CBT groups, this workbook is invaluable for clients to keep their practice going. The workbook is clear, concise, and informative. Its a must-have for clients and clinicians alike.

JacquelineVorpahl, PhD, owner and child and family psychologist at Vorpahl Psychology Associates, LLC, and creator of the Chilloutz app for kids

Anxiety is the most common psychological problem affecting health and well-being (followed by depression). TheYoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety combines the proven effectiveness of CBT for relieving anxiety and depression through what we say to ourselves with the proven effectiveness of yoga through its effect on the body. Readers will find this book understandable and comfortable, with exercises that are easy to follow, and helpful for replacing the patterns that create or maintain their anxiety and depression. This is an excellent, practical workbook that will be useful for individuals trying to improve their own management of anxiety and depression, as well as for therapists, yoga instructors, or others who work with people who struggle with anxiety.

PaulBlock, PhD, principal at 3-Point Consulting

This wonderful book grew out of clinical work the authors have done for years with real people struggling every day with anxiety and depression. They knew that a quieter mind would lead to a better life. Now they are generously sharing what they have learned through an easy-to-read workbookone chapter a week.

ScottM. Bock, founder, president, and CEO of Riverside Community Care

A recent, broad movement in psychotherapy has been the incorporation of the contemplative components of yoga, mindfulness, and meditation, alongside CBT, which is well known as the current dominant therapy for mental health conditions. This book, by therapists who have significant experience with the implementation of yoga as a therapeutic intervention, takes us further into the next wave of psychotherapy by also incorporating the breath regulation and physical practices of yoga. This has taken full advantage of effective practices that work on the mind-body connection to enhance therapeutic benefit, and is presented in a simple and practical text that is suitable for patients and therapists working with anxiety.

SatBirSinghKhalsa, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, research director for the Kundalini Research Institute and the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and editor of the InternationalJournalofYogaTherapy and ThePrinciplesandPracticeofYogainHealthCare

I found the neurobiology involved in a persons anxiety, and in how to take control over that anxiety, to be described very clearly and thoroughly in TheYoga-CBT Workbook for Anxiety, especially for a nonscientific layperson-. Who knew that carbon dioxide plays such an important role in our thoughts, emotions, and behavior? Therapeutic principles of treating many psychiatric conditions were well incorporated into this guide. Particularly valuable is that this workbook goes beyond illustrating how to decrease symptoms; it takes the reader to the next level: how anxiety impacts a persons communication and relationships. Understanding the biochemical processes that are involved in ones feelings of self-worth and ones ability to communicate is only one part of the equation. Integrating that knowledge with meditation and yoga techniques can produce changed behavior. Incorporating the guiding principles set forth in this workbook can lead to a richer, better, and calmer quality of life.

DallasR. Gulley, LICSW, assistant vice president of Behavioral Health Services Division at Riverside Community Care

This workbook represents an important contribution to the self-help literature on managing anxiety. The authors, both seasoned clinicians, started with a clinical intervention that they developed and utilized with many clients, then conducted research that demonstrated its effectiveness. From that foundation, they have crafted a self-guided tool and imbued it with clarity and compassion. That tool can help people manage the problematic anxiety that all too often interferes with living. Much is written about integrating mind and body; this self-help workbook succeeds. Both yoga and CBT are made accessible, and a six-week path of physical and cognitive steps is simply and effectively laid out to help. I highly recommend it!

JonJaffe, LICSW, vice president of Consultation and Behavioral Health Divisions at the May Institute

Note to Reader

All case material and clinical examples in this book are fictionalized and are not a representation of any specific individual person.

Medical Disclaimer

While yoga practices are empowering and safe, they are not substitutes for medical care. The benefits attributed to the practice of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan stem from centuries-old yogic tradition; results will vary with individuals. Sometimes yoga practices are most effective as supplemental self-care to counseling and medical advice.

Professional treatment, including medications, can be helpful, especially if you have a history of trauma, depression, or a diagnosed anxiety disorder. If you are receiving treatment for anxiety, please consult with your therapist or doctor before using the practices in the book. As with any physical exercise, if you have any physical health conditions, consult with your medical provider before attempting the yoga in this book.