The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards

I have practiced yoga since 1970 myself. I find this book to be very helpful. Mr. Broad is not saying it is an all encompassing book about all the branch's of Yoga, it is about Hatha Yoga. Mr. Broads book is to help us not experience injury like he did, it is honest ,humble and straight forward. Because he put in some really interesting facts he collected is a plus.William Broad in my opinion is being attacked with those angry one star comments by those that fear they will lose their "cash cow". What they have or have not told their students about the hidden truths that are coming out about all forms of yoga these days. The other angry comments come from those that are in denial. This is very common these days as more and more truth comes out about the unseen side of yoga and other groups. How simple is this information in Broad's book. It is delivered in a non bias way. I found that those criticizing Mr. Broads book and his NY Times article didn't sound as if they even bothered to read them, but just wanted their own platform. Me thinks they protest too much, in fact me thinks there was an email sent out to all the devotees of some of these groups to write an unflattering comment on William Broads book. To try to make him look bad, I have seen this happen before on other articles/books attempting to get the truth out about these problems in the Yoga community. You run into this around yoga when there is a false charismatic leader. You find there the groupie/devotee syndrome. Blind devotion to do whatever is asked, by the group in the name of the leader.William Broad is plain and simple a science guy. He is journaling the information he spent 5 years collecting. He is not pretending to be a scholar or a guru, but commenting on his findings and including his own personal experience to back up the fact that YES, you can get hurt if you practice hatha yoga the wrong way.I myself was in two serious car accidents, I broke two windshields sitting on the passenger side. My neck is a mess, and I also hurt myself doing certain postures. It was very important to understand that certain postures were just not for me.I also was involved in a yoga group for over 26 years. The guru talked the talk so well, but he didn't walk the walk yet using yoga (dark yoga) he attained certain powers that here in the west no one believes are possible. He abused his power to get his devotees to do whatever he said, these guru types allow there devotees to literally worship them and they become God to the follower. To say we were brainwashed, would be an understatement.People deserve to know what they can be walking into when they think they are entering a a so called harmless hatha or Raj Yoga group. Whether it is postures or meditation, you are being opened up in a way you have no idea or way to understand unless you have studied the other side of yoga, this leaves you vulnerable to the suggestions of the teacher/guru. The point of all yoga is union with the Divine. But so many teachers end up pointing in the direction of themselves as the divine and giver of these experiences. William Broad is in no way setting himself up as anything but a messenger. Hoping that no one will be hurt the way he was. He happens to understand some of the Science of Yoga from studying the effects on the physical body, he is not claiming to have all the answers ,he states yoga still has many mysteries.I applaud William Broad for his courage and desire to get the TRUTH out to the public. his work is a public service. Bravo Mr. Broad.

Excellent book. Not at all dry. Broad uses interesting stories of real people to make the history, benefits and risks of yoga clear.He takes a scientific approach, asking questions, examining multiple perspectives and presenting evidence. According to that evidence, many of us probably have a few important points backwards. Examples:Can yoga help us lose weight? Ha! Rather than increasing our metabolism, as some yoga folks suggest, it lowers it. (See chapter 2.)Is yoga honestly a valid form of aerobic exercise? Not really. (Chapter 2.)Is it worth doing anyway? Yes! (Whole book.)Can pranayama be both wonderful and dangerous? Yup. The Science of Yoga shows how yoga teachers often get the info on oxygen and carbon dioxide wrong. (Chapter 2.)Can yoga can help improve our mood? Absolutely! Broad tells how one woman used it to overcome depression and help others do likewise. (See Chapter 3 and Amy Weintraub's Yoga for Depression.)Can the shoulderstand really stimulate the thyroid and possibly help with hypothyroidism? Hmm. Broad never discusses the thyroid, but what he does mention makes me hesitant to believe what I've read in non-scientific yoga texts. Doing the shoulderstand without taking pressure off the neck might actually cause far more harm than good. Consider the story of the young man who did the shoulderstand on a bare floor and ended up having symptoms of a stroke, with blockages in an artery between vertebrae C2 and C3. (Chapter 4.)How about the woman who actually fell asleep in a seated forward bend and hurt her sciatic nerves so much that she was temporarily disabled? For several months, she couldn't even walk on her own.Broad's book might sound like an attack on yoga, but it isn't. It's a warning to do yoga better, to ensure that it helps rather than harms. As he points out, "Facts can be stubborn things, and they now suggested that yoga had long involved not only celebrated benefits, but a number of hidden dangers."There's much more, including fun stories about yoga's history, sex and healing. The Science of Yoga is much easier for someone without a scientific or medical background to read than another excellent yoga science book, H. David Coulter's Anatomy of Hatha Yoga. It illustrates what Coulter noted:"Practicing with total attention within the body is advanced yoga, no matter how easy the posture; practicing with your attention scattered is the practice of a beginner, no matter how difficult the posture."I love yoga. I am forever grateful to the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers for giving me a calm, quiet path to peace and health. But now I am equally grateful to William J Broad for offering a clear guide to how our bodies really work in pranayama and asanas, and how some of the poses we might feel so good in can actually pose risks.I hope that Sivananda and other yoga centers make The Science of Yoga required reading in their teacher training courses and offer it for sale in their bookstores. We need to understand that some of what Swami Visnhu-devananda wrote in his classic The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga is accurate, but some is not. It would be dangerous to rely only on that for advice about teaching and doing asanas and pranayama.

Ayuda a entender realmente que beneficios tangibles tiene yoga y cuál son un poco más mitos .

This was one of the best books I have read for a long time! It appealed to both my left and right brain, to the Yogi and the researcher in me. It’s a comprehensive, well sourced study of yoga, meditation, breath, Kundalini, and the wider implications connected to it. Its beautifully balanced and articulated whilst highlighting what happens when big companies market for big profits. I can see why William Broad has won so many prizes for his work. It examines many of the popular statements made about this area but also puts them in context. It shone a light on many of my own observations and experiences as well as questions I had about its impact on me. William highlights that much of what we thought was based on early attempts to give scientific weight and credibility without the necessary means to do so. Equally, like myself, the author raises many concerns about what I’ve been seeing in the world of Yoga , yet like many I was drawn to yoga after a back injury over 5 years ago. I was also drawn to developing my meditation practice that came into its own when my work became stressful. I felt many of its benefits yet concerned if all the information I was given would help or harm. Yet , as much as I knew the benefits of both Yoga Meditation and Chanting I was concerned that many who try to take up these activities are ill equipped to understand their own bodies enough to know when they are pushing themselves too hard, or placing themselves in danger. Having worked in psychology for many years I understand the power of groups, the way people can give a guru status to anyone who seems to be credible and believe everything they are told. Yet, as other writers have highlighted Yogis and other teachers are as susceptible to spiritually bypassing and allowing the ego to take over. I was looking for information that explored the origin of Yoga, any science on the subject and further information about breath, what helps and doesn’t and why and I found everything I was looking for in this book.It’s a brilliant well researched book on much of the research available, looking at not only the health benefits of yoga but also the less familiar area of what happens when we still our worlds. I could relate to the transitions of slowing the world down, breathing properly and noticing an increase In my creative abilities. Over the last two years my photography and a desire to explore architecture in more depth and my writing has increased in volume and depth.A recent car accident meant hat many of my usual activities were shelved and due to pain and aches I knew that now was the time to make Yoga Meditation and chanting my lifestyle, through careful gentle daily practice. My body once again is healing and throughout my capacity to reflect and gain clarity on issues that I felt blocked about, has emerged. The space reflection and ability to stir the creative juices has become a side effect I never expected. Yoga and meditation literally also changed my life.I wanted to develop this further and train as a yoga teacher but again was concerned at how I can ensure what I’m teaching is safe and effective. The science shared in this book has helped me see where both my strengths and limitations may lay .Its helped me choose a course that would steer away from the often marketed grandiose athletic style , but rather to something more therapeutic, that enables people to tap into their own innate body wisdom. I loved all chapters but in particular I liked reading about the muse.My only criticism is, I have also practiced Kundalini for the last 4 years, the breath work and chanting and never had the experiences mentions in the human consciousness movement. Yet I resonate with how I have evolved as a photographer and writer. Oftentimes people can read about experiences and aim to seek them , yet these can also become another form of distraction. I don’t think everyone has them or needs to experience them. We all have our own unique path to follow and yoga can help us enjoy the journey. Change for some can be subtle and for others stark and life altering. What I did learn was how that process helped me move out the left brain, problem solving and analytical to become more present, rid my anxiety and early years of susceptibility to low mood and massively increase my capacity for peace joy and connection .

Ce livre a ceci de bon qu'il présente des études qui démontrent certains bienfaits du yoga (il est dé-stressant, relaxant, et il a une heureuse influence sur l'humeur), et qu'il démonte certaines mystifications qui tournent encore aujourd'hui autour du yoga :- il tiendrait lieu d'entraînement cardio, ce qui permettrait de faire maigrir (foutaise : pour maigrir, vous devez dépenser plus de calories que vous n'en absorbez, et/ou élever votre métabolisme ; le yoga abaisse votre rythme métabolique)- le yoga est lent et "statique", donc sans danger (foutaise : on peut se blesser, parfois gravement, en pratiquant (mal) le yoga, comme dans n'importe quelle activité physique)La bibliographie qu'il propose est intéressante. Sur les 5 premiers chapitres (le livre en compte 7), le travail semble sérieux et sourcé.Malheureusement, et c'est pourquoi je ne lui attribue que 3 étoiles, l'auteur a tendance à extrapoler sur certains résultats d'études et à sauter sur des conclusions qui ressemblent fort elles-même à de la foutaise (les chapitres 6 et 7). Par ailleurs, il aborde la question de la (du ?) kundalini comme un simple journaliste en quête de sensationnel, en recueillant des témoignages (on est loin de la démarche scientifique, là), et il se garde bien d'évoquer la quincaillerie New-Age/Mystico-hindoue du système des chakras. Par crainte de s'aliéner des lecteurs potentiels ? Mais peut-être aussi qu'il n'a pas trouvé d'études sérieusement menées sur le sujet.Quoi qu'il en soit, ce livre est à ma connaissance le seul où s'exerce une démarche critique à l'égard d'un certain discours sur le yoga, et il vaut vraiment le coup d'oeil jusqu'au 6ème chapitre (la plus grande partie du livre, donc). Si le yoga vous intéresse, et que vous lisez l'anglais, allez-y.

Excellent review of the potential for injury when doing hatha yoga while still recognizing its benefits with the proper teacher.I found an excellent instructor who recognizes that it is important to be gentle yet precise. She gives excellent classes in backcare and for seniors. She has produced some audio CDs that are available online. Her name is Kumari and is based in Aylmer, Quebec. Her maiden name is Catherine Gillis. She will be giving teacher training at the Sivanada Yoga Ashram in Val Morin, Quebec, Canada from April 13 to 20, 2015.

This is one of the finest books that I have read on Yoga. It is well researched and presents a very balanced view on Yoga-it's immense and proven benefits on physical and mental health if practiced diligently. The book also cautions rightly about how certain Asanas may not be tried by those with some predispositions. The book dwells on the enormous tasks ahead to make Yoga consciously tempered by modern scientific rigour. Written by a sincere practioner of Yoga of over four decades, the book is authentic through and through. William J Broad deserves our gratitude.