Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

In Part 1 of a new series, Scott describes how a pose many traditions consider the most important of all poses, can be done by anyone, and some of the lesser known benefits. In particular, how people born Caesarean section can gain special benefit from headstand. Includes the debut appearance of Amelia the kitten.

My father would often say that the secret to life is flexibility. As a child I'd often bristle at this comment, as it often caught me occupying an unyielding position of unreasonableness. As an adult I am now thankful for this early lesson in Yoga. Despite my father's inability to stand on his head, he remains my original yoga teacher. Adaptability is the access point to contentment. When we're convinced how things have to be, we're less likely to enjoy things as they are . When we know how people should behave, we're less likely to appreciate who's in front of us. A regular practice of asana (postures) and pranayama (breathing) is a powerful way to uncover our latent adaptability. While it's often assumed I'm referring to the body-flexibility of Hatha Yoga practices, I'm actually referring to stability more than physical flexibility. Being steady in the body predicts a degree of ease in life. If we're at ease and comfortable in our own skin, ...

As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, breathing is one of the least understood aspects of Yoga. True, we have many images and techniques regarding breathing techniques, though at the end of the day, the incidence of incorrect breathing is epidemic. Perhaps you’ve heard teachers suggest belly breathing , filling the collarbones , b reathing into the side ribs , filling the armpit-chest or other secondary instructions. While each of these carries an element of truth, in isolation, they’re often misleading. These instructions are all based on the assumption that the diaphragm is moving properly. In our 21st century world, this assumption doesn’t carry much weight. Perhaps proper diaphragm movement was commonplace at some other time and place, but today it’s become exceedingly rare. Why do we care about the movement of the diaphragm? The diaphragm signals the brain whether to be content, or ready-for-the-worst. If the diaphragm is moving improperly, the sympathetic nervous sys...

In the era before the iPod, it was rare to see adults riding their bikes down the street belting out songs. Such boundless enthusiasm is a wonderful and rare experience, and my first glimpse of Ashtanga Yoga inspired such a feeling. I enthusiastically described this first practice as though I felt like I’d been shot out of a cannon, and I imagine there are still mothers in South Minneapolis using hushed tones to warn their children of the daft man on a blue bicycle. It didn’t take very long before my dedicated Iyengar practice became a dedicated Ashtanga practice. As a fairly experienced yoga student, I quickly integrated the practices of first and second series into my routine. If sufficiently motivated, I’d chip away at third series every now and then. In the process, I quickly became stronger and more flexible than ever before. The only challenge with this practice, as many of you may have experienced, was working it into my daily routine. In 1991 I was a graduate student in the ...

Yoga is often described as mending the mind/body split. While it's indeed a powerful technique to that end, we should be watchful of how our stressed, dualistic mind continues to reinforce its own existence. Even under the auspices of yoga practice, you will commonly observe practitioners cultivating their stressed-out minds through the performance of yogic techniques. Nowhere is this more evident than in breathing! Our practice should serve as a reminder that this body is infused with an innate intelligence, or put another way, the body already knows how to be healthy & vital. Through appropriate effort and intelligent surrender, we can raise this latent vitality out of dormancy and into experience. Authentic Breathing is a powerful technique to this end. Authentic Breathing starts with a full, complete exhale. This is what we call the Full Commitment Exhale in Alignment Yoga, and what sets it apart is the focus on releasing the held-tensions of the ribs and diaphragm. Rathe...