Man Bites Downward-Facing Dog: Dr. Timothy McCall Takes On William Broad of The New York Times

by NinaMugsy, the Yoga Dog by Nina ZolotowCould yoga make you fat (especially if you're a woman)? Does it cause hundreds of strokes per year? Sex you up so much you'll engage in unethical behavior? Did the entire discipline start out as a sex cult? If you read The New York Times you might think so. As much as I've often disagreed with him, up until now I've been diplomatic in my responses to William Broad's writings about yoga in Times and in his...

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Welcome Bridget Frederick, Our New Editor!

Photo Credit: Steve JonesI’m excited to announce that Bridget Frederick has joined the staff of Yoga for Healthy Aging as a copyeditor and proofreader! Yeah, I admit it: I’ve been a bit sloppy in the past. Early on I made a conscious decision that while I would quickly edit each post for clarity and tone before I publish it, sometimes even doing a bit of a rewrite, that I wasn’t going to take the time to pour over each one for typos. And then there...

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Achieving Stillness in Turbulent Situations

by RamCataract by Brad GibsonIn chapter 3 and verse 2 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we are introduced to the topic of meditation (dhayana) as follows: “Tatra Pratyaya Ekatanata Dhyanam”tatra = there, therein; pratyaya = the feeling, notion, idea, cognition; ekatanata (eka = one, single- tanata = continuous, uninterrupted); dhyanam = meditation Swami Jnaneshvara translates this as: “The repeated continuation or uninterrupted stream of that one...

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Staying Safe with Degenerative Disc Disease

by ShariI thought I would follow up on Baxter’s excellent post about preventing spinal degenerative disc disease Degenerative Disc Disease and Yoga by discussing how you might practice yoga safely after receiving this diagnosis. To begin, it is important to understand how to influence the health of your spinal discs in your asana practice. The spinal discs acquire their nourishment from movement. In asana we move the spine throughout a range...

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Friday Q&A: Spinal Stenosis and Osteoporosis

This question of the week for this week came in about an older post from A Pair of Serendipities Re: Spinal Stenosis.Q: Hello, I found this article very helpful and appreciate your information. I have a student who just started my class at a community college who has spinal stenosis, which as described here can be relieved by mindful forward bends. However, she also tells me she has osteoporosis (all on an intake form), which from my understanding is an indication to avoid forward folding. My class is very large and is beginners yoga, and I plan...

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Featured Pose: Supported Child's Pose

by Baxter and NinaThis is one of the most comforting restorative poses. The position is one that small children take naturally when they are trying to rest or self soothe. And while many of the other restorative are supine (facing up), which can make some people feel vulnerable (especially if they are suffering from anxiety), in this pose you are in a prone position (facing down), which feels safe and nurturing. Supported Child’s Pose allows you...

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Yoga and The Pursuit of Happiness

by Nina“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” — Declaration of Independence, United States of AmericaI don’t know about you, but I’ve always found it was a bit surprising that one of the three “unalienable rights” the U.S. Declaration of Independence recognizes is “the pursuit...

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Degenerative Disk Disease and Yoga

by BaxterIn my ongoing attempts to stay up on the developing information about yoga, aging and health, I look at other online sources of new information. One such resource is the online site called Yoga U, which sends out a periodic newsletter as well as offering special live interactive webinars on a variety of topics and yoga. (I’ll be doing a webinar for them in May on “Yoga and the Digestive System” so stay tuned!) As I was preparing for my Sunday...

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Anger Management: Philosophy, Science and Yoga

by RamThe Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, and serves as a guiding manual for the daily conduct of life, spiritual uplift and self-realization. It is a treatise addressed to each and every individual to help him or her to solve life’s daily problems and progress towards a bright future (see also Nina’s post Acceptance, Active Engagement and the Bhagavad Gita).Growing up in an extended family in India, we were regularly...

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Friday Q&A: Benefits of Squatting

Q: I recently decided to try the experiment of sitting cross-legged more, starting out on my sofa, as sitting in this position seems to help my achy hip and back. I will see if I can progress to the floor. I am also wondering about squatting more, not comfortable for me, but a common position in many countries (such as Vietnam, where many families still eat squatting on a low large table). Any thoughts on this position, besides needing to be careful of wonky knees?A: Do I ever! I happen to like squatting, even though I have an old tear to the cartilage...

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Cultivating the Opposite: Yoga Philosophy for Healthy Eating, Healthy Aging

by Nina “People in America are addicted to sugar, and to fat and to salt,” he says, and as a nation, it’s holding us back. “Food is intensely pleasurable, and people are afraid that if they change the way they eat, they’ll stop having pleasure.” —Jan. 17, 2013 interview on NPR with John Mackey, co-CEO of Whole Foods This morning, as I was helping Baxter prepare for his workshop on Yoga and Healthy Eating at the upcoming Yoga Journal Conference, he...

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Studying with Our Teachers

by NinaOne of the frequent questions we get here on Yoga for Healthy Aging is: how can I study with your teachers? The answer is that the best way is to attend the special workshops and retreats that our teachers offer throughout the year. While we previously had some of this information on the blog, I’ve now updated it for 2013. And to make it easier for you to find the information for a particular teacher, I’ve created separate pages for each teacher. To find the listings for an individual teacher, simply click on the tab at the top of the page...

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Experts Weigh In on Injury Risk with Yoga Poses

by BaxterA few months back, I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion for Yoga Journal Magazine on the topic of injuries that occur when performing yoga poses. In the West, you and I know this physical part of yoga as “asana practice” or the doing of a series or sequence of yoga poses. In many settings, these yoga pose sequences can be devoid of any of the other limbs or aspects of yoga, such as meditation or lifestyle guidelines (like the...

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The Pains Which Are To Come....

by NinaOak Tree in Late Summer Light by Brad GibsonII.16. heyaim dukham anagatamThe pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided.—Yoga Sutras, translation by B.K.S. IyengarLast night a friend was telling me what she loved about our blog was that it was positive and optimistic. We write about good things, she said, and have positive solutions. Well, we do believe that yoga has many answers for helping us age gracefully, and we regularly...

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Workshops of Interest: Timothy McCall's "The Science and Practice of Therapeutic Yoga"

by TimothyI'm excited to be doing my most in-depth course of the year, The Science and Practice of Therapeutic Yoga, in Walnut Creek, CA at the Yoga and Movement Center. Traditionally, I've taught that course over 8 days but now for the first time, it will be held over four consecutive weekends starting Saturday, Feb. 16th. This course has more on the scientific background of yoga and research updates, and more case work than my regular Yoga as Medicine workshops. You don't have to take all four weekends if that's not possible, but it's important...

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Friday Q&A: Encouraging Men to Practice Yoga

Q: Having retired from the elementary classroom after 36 years (which included spending many of my waking hours working with females and having a wife and two daughters) I guess I continue to be drawn to traditional female types of occupation/activity. I have fallen in love with yoga and have been blessed with practicing in a studio with excellent, caring, compassionate instructors. All unique and different, all very tuned in to their students.I am at a loss as to why more males practice yoga. Not sure if it’s the macho type no pain-no gain mentality...

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To Sit or Not To Sit (on the floor)?

by RamGetting Married Sitting on the FloorAs a child growing up in India I remember sitting on the floor for all kinds of activities, including eating, writing, reading and playing several indoor games. Growing up in a family of moderate means, owning several furniture items or a dining table or a cot was considered a luxury, and the pleasure of having these items at home was similar to the pleasure one achieves owning a Benz or Lexus. The dining...

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