Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

Backcountry skiing is one of my favorite activities. Rather than riding ski lifts to the mountaintops, backcountry skiers get to the tops of the mountains under their own power. It’s said that backcountry skiers earn their turns , and I’ve certainly found that the pleasures of untracked snow are even greater when I’ve broken a sweat to get there. Over the years, I’ve daydreamed about doing longer and more remote backcountry tours, and inevitably come to the conclusion that a guide would be essential. The threat of avalanche is a constant companion, as is the very real possibility of getting turned around in whiteout conditions. As I consider the need for a guide, I’ve further reflected on the attributes I’d look for in a guide. Firstly, I’d like a mountain guide to be a proficient skier. Should anything go awry, the guide would need to ski in whatever conditions were present, and perhaps across the steepest and gnarliest terrain. Expert skiing skills would be essential. ...

In another installment from our Assistant Director of Trainings, Andrea Russell, we learn the benefits of the Classic Sun Salutations and how to practice them.

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.

Scott shares final thoughts on how to create a balanced life-long yoga practice.

Remember Tina? Here Scott shares specific things to pay attention to in your yoga practice, which tend to overheat the nervous system.

The old Johnnie Taylor song reminded us that where there's smoke, there's fire . In the human body, where there's pain, there's inflammation. In teaching therapeutic yoga, I rarely find pain without accompanying inflammation. Inflammation is the body's response to irritants. In some cases the irritant may be faulty biomechanics, while in other cases the cause may be mental stress. In both cases, Yoga is a powerful ally in healing. Quite often, however, yoga breathing and postures alone do not root out the cause of the inflammation. Without getting to the cause, the benefits of Yoga are often short-lived. As mentioned in Part 1, inappropriate food choices are a common cause of inflammation. Food choices that are clearly detrimental to health include too many refined foods, lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, or excess consumption of fried foods. Quite often, however, the food choices responsible for chronic inflammation are not as obvious. Frequently we'll find ...

Frequently students will ask me, should I do the technique this way, or that way ? Quite often, the answer is yes . One of the gifts of a regular hatha yoga practice is helping us to grasp the rather elusive concepts of nondual philosophy. Rather than seeing truth, love and compassion as something to be attained, yoga demonstrates that our divinity is within. Our practice helps us shift this recognition from latency to potency. While these ideas are described by many texts in philosophical terms, it’s rare to explore these ideas in working with the body. Rather than the postures being this or that, can we expand our understanding to see that the postures are this and that? As we work with the body, can we recognize moment by moment our inherent goodness? As mentioned in previous blog entries, the yoga that’s risen to prominence in the West often imposes the poses on the body. Our mind carries a set of instructions for the proper execution of the pose, and imposes these ideas on the ...