(Read part I of this post.) Broad concludes by saying that yoga is at a critical juncture in its development. While he recognizes the limits of science (as I pointed out earlier, not everything can be quantified), he feels that the way forward for the practice of yoga is to more closely align itself with [...]
Archive for the ‘Yoga’ Category
The Science of Yoga, Part II 2 comments
The Science of Yoga Leave a comment
I’ve been reading William Broad’s book The Science of Yoga, in which he discusses the history of yoga, as well as debunking certain myths and mis-conceptions surrounding the practice. The book also takes a detailed look at modern research on the benefits of yoga. It’s interesting to me that there is such a strong cultural [...]
The Space Between Leave a comment
One of my first yoga teachers used to say that the space between breaths was the space of possibility. She encouraged us to focus on that space: rather than focusing on inhaling and exhaling, to focus on pausing after exhaling and before inhaling. While many yogic breathing techniques (pranayama) focus on inhaling, exhaling, or breath [...]
The Summer Solstice Experience 1 comment
Every summer Kundalini Yogis from around the world gather at Ram Das Puri in the Jemez Mountains near Espanola, New Mexico for a variety of intensive workshops and 3 days of White Tantric Yoga. They call this experience Summer Solstice.It is a transformative immersion opportunity. I have had the Summer Solstice experience twice since I [...]
Innerspace: Yoga and Emotional Life 2 comments
One of the topics discussed by William Broad in his recent interview on NPR was the impact that yoga has on emotional health, particularly for those who are suffering from depression (see Broad’s new book for the science). In this post, I’d like to share some observations from the perspective of a teacher and long-term [...]
Understanding the Risks of Inversions Leave a comment
In yoga, inversions (which can be considered any posture in which the hips are higher than the head) are some of the most risky and most popular postures. Inversions, in theory, can be very good for the body. They improve core strength, stimulate the lymph system, and provide an energy reversal. Inversions, like spinal twists, [...]
The White Tantric Yoga Experience Leave a comment
In the Kundalini Yoga tradition there is a special all-day meditation experience called “White Tantric Yoga.” (WTY) It’s a partner meditation where hundreds of pairs sit facing each other in rows. The day consists of a series of meditations of varying lengths, generally 62 minutes or less, with breaks in between. WTY is designed to [...]
Yoga and Better Sex 1 comment
This post is in response to a reader who asked for more information about how yoga can improve your sex life. Now, I’m not a scientist, and indeed if you want the scientific evidence you may wish to check out William Broad’s new book, but I do have a few things to say on the [...]
Yoga and Sex Leave a comment
On Feburary 27, 2012, William Broad’s article “Yoga and Sex Scandals: No Surprise Here”appeared in the New York Times. If you’re not part of the yoga community (or even if you are), you might not have heard about the recent scandal surrounding John Friend, the founder of Anusara yoga. Broad blames yoga’s origin as a [...]
The Yoga Industrial Complex 2 comments
On February 10, 2012, William Broad was interviewed on NPR regarding his new book The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards. Broad is a somewhat controversial figure in the yoga community, as discussed in my earlier entry “Can Yoga Wreck Your Body?” in response to his January 2012 article in The New York Times [...]