Read More: The Science of Yoga

I've been looking forward to reading The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards by William J Broad ever since I read a review in Yoga Journal. And then there was a piece in the Times about gruesome yoga injuries, excerpted from the book, that made me want to read it even more. Finally, it was my turn to pick up my copy from the library. Hallelujah!

It didn't disappoint, for the most part. The premise of the book is that the author takes all these claims about yoga and subjects them to scientific scrutiny. He looks at the studies out there and separates the true from the false from the nobody really knows. Most yoga claims probably fall in that last category, which is hard for a writer to deal with. I mean, how many times can you say "We really don't have the faintest idea" without irritating your reader beyond the point of no return? This was clearly something the poor author struggled with.

The beginning of the book was the strongest. Broad starts by giving a rundown of the history of yoga and health claims and how we came to be in the state we are now. Interesting stuff! Then he moves on to evaluating the physical fitness claims yoga makes. This was by far the best part of the book. Those claims that yoga makes you lose weight? Nope, not true. Provides a good cardio workout? Nope, it's a really poor choice. While yoga can do a lot of nice things, making you slim and developing your aerobic fitness are two things that it ain't going to do. Which is way different than the story that many of us have been sold by all of the yoga chains/dvds/etc. There is also a pretty good chapter on what yoga does for moods, and that is where yoga seems to really shine. Honestly, if yoga can improve mood as dramatically as some studies suggest, then maybe it's not fair to expect it to do a ton of other things, like make you model-like svelte! I mean, we don't expect Prozac to make us drop the pounds do we? Elevating mood alone is a big deal. That yoga can also build strength and flexibility is a big plus, in my view.

As you get farther into the book, however, the author moves into topics that there is way less research about. And at that point, there really is no "science of yoga." The chapters on sex and creativity for example... I'm not really sure they should have been included. It's interesting to think about how yoga might impact these things, for sure. But basically, since there is no real research in these areas, the chapters on them were just full of wild speculation, which is the opposite of what this book is supposed to be about! All of the bits about kundalini-linked transformations... to be honest, I didn't even really understand what the heck we were talking about at that point in the book. I would have liked a little more skepticism in these chapters from the author.

I guess this book has been really controversial because of the way that Broad highlights terrible yoga injuries, as well as the woeful lack of training that many yoga instructors have. I think it's good for people to know that "certified yoga therapist" is not a real thing. Or to be aware of how bad yoga poses can go, so they approach their classes very carefully. I feel really lucky that most of the yoga teachers I've had seem really great, and never try to force people into poses that aren't for them... and are really careful to explain how to set up poses to avoid injuries. Even so, after reading this I approach my practice with a new level of caution, as well as greater enthusiasm, and I think that's a good thing. In my view, this guy is shedding some light on a subject that was kind of shrouded in darkness for most people, and that's a great thing! I think it would be hard for anyone to really argue that he paints yoga in a bad light, though. He practices it daily himself, and he is very positive about it on the whole.

- Kristin