Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

I sometimes wonder whether some of the old cars running around Madison support their bumper stickers, or whether the bumper stickers offer a sort of exoskeletal support structure for the cars? Regardless the nature of this symbiotic relationship, there is occasionally wisdom to be found in unlikely places. A decade or so ago, we saw the bumper-sticker no one is free when others are oppressed on many of Madison’s aging Volvos. In this simple statement, we saw a fundamental tenet of yoga revealed. By gently invoking the Yama of Ahimsa (non-violence) this bumper-sticker reminded us of our essential connectedness. As the Yogis understood eons ago – we are interconnected in ways that often elude our perceptions. For the aspiring Yogi(ni), the starting point of yoga practice is an understanding of Ahimsa (non-violence). While many interpret Ahimsa as an imperative toward vegetarianism, violence comes in many forms besides hitting people or eating animals. If we parse violence to its essence

The notion of one-size-fits-all can be captivating. There's something appealing about erasing our differences, and we'll frequently turn to our physical form to express this desire. Many years ago I worked as a bicycle mechanic. The early 90's weren't such a robust time for budding Yoga teachers, and the day-job provided a modicum of financial stability. (As day jobs go, you could do worse than wrenching bikes.) While fixing another rusty hybrid bicycle, Jason observed that in the bicycle's attempt to do everything, it ended up not doing anything well. It didn't readily go off-road, nor did the hybrid bicycle offer much in terms of on-road performance. The negation of excellence in the pursuit of homogeneity has left us the poorer in more arenas than bicycling. It used to be that clothes billed themselves as one-size-fits-all. In the age of rampant obesity, only the muumuu can now make good on that claim. In response, we're finding clothing that bills itself