Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

Thanks for checking out my blog. The following essay is an excerpt from my forthcoming book on Alignment Yoga: The Taoists have that elegant symbol of how opposites intermingle to create each other - what we call the Ying-Yang symbol. I first encountered this symbol during my wanna-be skater-punk days in the late-70s. Like many suburban boys, I glorified all things removed from suburbia. The only problem was that I had to ask my Mom to drive me wherever I wanted to rebel. There was a skateboard shop in downtown Scottsdale (Arizona) that stocked all the newest, most rebellious skate wear. It was imperative I get there, as it would be impossible to rebel without the proper accessories. (and what if I wasn’t wearing what the other rebellious kids were wearing?) On arrival I was overwhelmed by the possibilities; decals, clothes, wheels, trucks, blanks, etc. My eye was grabbed by the logo for Town & Country Surf Designs. I was so captivated, I bought a handful of their decals and left

I first heard this expression from the late Edward Abbey in a speech twenty or so years ago. It struck me as odd – sort of along the lines of describing somebody as being obesely thin, or slender despite their overweight. This phrase may have made good art (poetry), but I didn’t see its applicability to our day-to-day existence. As the years go by, however, "reluctant enthusiast" took on greater relevance, at least with regards to how I view this practice of yoga. This fall it’ll be twenty-six years since I first plugged that auspicious meditation tape into my cassette player. In the intervening years I’ve moved around, explored various avenues, tried various ways-of-being, yet always the practice remained. Sort of like an old friend who sticks by you no matter how strange you act. There was a period of about 12 years where I practiced every day for at least a couple hours. Sometimes I practiced in the airport (lots of stares); I would practice while sick (didn’t help the nau