Bob, responsive and articulate as ever, was pleased to answer my questions:

What is a guna?

According to Hindu philosophy, the entire cosmos, including man and consciousness, are emanations of cosmic matter, called prakrti. These emanations manifest through the predominance of or combination between three different qualities or attributes, called the gunas. The gunas are:

1) Sattva: the quality of luminosity, clarity, serenity

2) Rajas: the attribute of mobility, activity

3) Tamas: the characteristic of inertia, gravity, stability

I find Parivrtta Trikonasa, Revolved Triangle, to be one of the more challenging standing asanas. Can you point out how/where in the pose each of the three gunas should prevail?

Bob demonstrates Parivrtta Trikonasana

As with all of the standing poses, one’s legs should provide a stable and steady base, firm with the earth element and the gravity of tamas. Passion, the fire element, should prevail in the revolving movements of the torso, reflecting the constructive qualities, the mobility of rajas. The face, eyes, tongue and brain emanate the clarity, ease, nobility of sattva.

Often, a beginning student will be light in the legs and heavy in the head. Regular practice of the asanas should cultivate the reversal of this tendency, and others like it, so that the gunas can be properly expressed within the asanas.

How does a yoga practitioner learn to balance the three gunas?

Through the rigors of self-study and practice, the yoga practitioner learns which thoughts and actions are prompted by tamas, and which by rajas, and works with unceasing effort to achieve a sattvic frame of mind. Within the context of asana practice, the yogi should observe that the qualities of tamas and rajas find appropriate expression.

While the attribute of tamas, or gravity, can lead to physical inertia or mental torpor, it can and should be expressed constructively as a firm foundation, or gravity, in the asanas; for example, steadiness and stability in the legs when practicing standing poses, as illustrated in the photo.

Similarly, rajas, unchecked and unbalanced, can promote greed, pride, ambition in the ego—but has a rightful place in the practice of postures. Constructively, rajas can fuel the fires and efforts to maintain a zealous pursuit of yogic practices. As well, the mobility provided by this second guna allows for correct and appropriate movement within the poses.

The ultimate goal of the yogi is to be free from the pull of the gunas, transcending these qualities through the rigorous discipline of practice and self-study.

Did you ever meet someone who demonstrated an extraordinary ability that was difficult to fathom? Sort of otherworldly yet at the same time totally grounded in reality. No? Then you’ve probably never met

In these challenging times, people from all walks of life seek relief from the stress and uncertainty of day-to-day life. In keeping with my focus on balance–environmental and beyond–meet Bill Farber, a gifted man who personifies sustainable energy!

What is an energy healer?

It is a very broad term that can refer to any number of different modalities. It will usually pertain to more holistic and even Eastern systems, ranging from acupuncture and acupressure, which redirect energy in a very physical way; to Chi Gong and Reiki, which use energy in a more subtle way. Over the last decade especially, literally hundreds of different energy modalities have been created, many of which are outgrowths of existing systems and many of which claim to be entirely new and unique. Because of the wide variety of techniques available, one may have to experiment and/or rely on personal referrals to find the most useful technique and practitioner.

My definition of an energy healer is someone who has a degree of natural ability to conduct healing energy to another, either in person or remotely, and who has had sufficient training and experience in one or more modalities. With some, as in my case, one’s own unique style can evolve over time.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a combination of two Japanese words: “Rei,” which means something like divinely guided; and “Ki,” which is life force energy. Combined they mean “divinely guided life force energy.” I like to use the words “inherently intuitive” instead of divinely guided because the latter could imply that some religious belief is necessary to give or receive Reiki, which is not at all true.

Having practiced and taught Reiki for almost 20 years, I am still in awe of its simple, effortless power to uplift and heal in nearly all situations. It is equally as effective at long distance as it is in person. A Reiki session produces a deep restful state in the nervous system and brain. The deep restfulness allows for the maximum flow of healing and balancing energy that spontanteously replenishes the energy of the client in those areas where it is most needed.

What areas of a person’s life can benefit from Reiki?

All areas are addressed: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Reiki can be done alone or in conjunction with other modalities, both holistic and allopathic. For example, Reiki is a great benefit for chemotherapy patients in that it will dramatically reduce side effects and keep the energy of the patient at high functional levels. Dr. Mehmet Oz has used Reiki as a pre-op, during-op, and post-op modality for open-heart surgery for the past decade or more. He has documented dramatic improvements in the recovery time and reduction of pain, fear and anxiety in his patients.

What about reducing day-to-day stress?

Reiki is one of the most powerful and fast-acting stress-reduction techniques available. It has profound effects similar to deep meditation but the recipient does not even have to meditate because the energy automatically produces the effects with no “doing” whatsoever!

I can take a stressed out businessperson to a state of profound peace and stillness in just a few minutes, and this does not involve hypnosis or suggestion in any way. It can be done on the phone as well as in person. After Reiki training, a person can administer the treatment to herself. Doing the self-treatment regularly creates a strong immune system and a clear, balanced state of mind.

Beyond treating the individual, how does your Corporate Alignment Program work?

I custom design a Corporate Alignment Program for an organization to fit its specific needs. Corporate Alignment comes from a core group of aligned individuals within an organization. They are aligned first within themselves, then with each other; the alignment then spreads quite naturally throughout the organization.

After working for some time with a group of individuals within an organization, I then train them in energy alignment techniques; they utilize these techniques as a group. The energy applied in a specific way will reduce stress and improve the flow of creativity and positivity within a department or in relationships with clients.

Dramatic reduction of stress, along with increased vitality experienced by more and more people within a company will inevitably result in more productivity and reduced absenteeism. The benefits are obvious especially in the area of wellness.

Corporate Alignment can also be used to empower individual, departmental, and organizational goals. The atmosphere will be markedly improved creating a much better work environment.