Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

This fall we’re entering uncharted territory. While that’s true for each and every day, we’ve largely shielded ourselves from this reality with the safety and security of our routine. Every so often, a hurricane, earthquake or tornado interrupts our routine, and it’s interesting to see what portions of our old routine is regained, and what sloughs away in the transition. The H1N1 virus is our portal to uncharted territory in the coming months. We have no idea what may transpire – perhaps this is exaggerated like Iraq’s weapons-of-mass-destruction, or we may be looking down the barrel of an epidemic. We have no idea, nor do we have much control. While our public health officials are working diligently to stave off a full-blown epidemic, the tools seem undersized for the task at hand. I’m reminded of a tooth-brushing lesson hosted by my elementary school some 35 years ago. A community dentist came into our school and class-by-class, taught us the proper brushing technique. After an infor...

The Boeing 777 infotainment center invited me to any number of diversions. I could play games, watch movies and even shop (duty-free, no less). That all seemed a million miles removed from the apartment in Delhi (Dwarka, Sector 6) where the barriers of geography and language kept us focused on the countdown to our flight to Ahmedabad. Each time I visit India I experience days that seem to stretch out infinitely to the horizon. Generally they’re days spent in a huge city, and usually, language barriers create a feeling of confinement. This trip hewed to the pattern, as our hosts tended to our every need (some real, some imagined) while our furtive attempts at gesticulating our desires (transport to the Lodi Gardens and the Red Fort) brought fresh chapattis to the table. India’s capacity to catalyze growth most assuredly is not confined to the practices of yoga and meditation. After our de facto retreat, the journey to Mahuva began. It had been two years since I’d visited Morari Bapu at ...

Gravity Juice on the feet is one of the most unique and effective of all the Pre-Yoga techniques. While I've been using this technique and teaching students in the studio for years, I'm excited now to share this tool with the larger yoga community. Try it out, and let us know your results. Here's an excerpt from the video below: The sole of the foot relates to the whole rest of the body. In reflexology, the top of the foot relates to the upper back between the shoulder blades. So many yoga students walk into class and complain about how stiff and tight they are between the shoulder blades. Quite often, these exercises begin to release those tight, stiff muscles. We can also consider the foot as our primary shock-absorber. If we step on an irregular surface, the foot absorbs the irregularity. If the foot is very stiff and rigid, it transmits that shock higher up into our system. This can cause knee strain and an unstable SI joint. Getting more pliability in the sole of the f...

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, ...

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 ...

In my work as a Yoga Therapist, I’m fortunate to meet many interesting people. Some of them come in search of the inner rewards that Yoga can provide, though the vast majority are drawn to Yoga as a means to relieve their body’s pain. It’s gratifying work, and I find many people find the Yogic path so interesting that they stick around long after they’ve eliminated their pain. When taking information during the intake session with new students, I’ve found a couple questions integral to a rewarding outcome: is there a history of ankle/foot injury or abdominal surgery? Both of these experiences, particularly when occurring in childhood, alter the body’s movement patterns in ways that often reveal as pain or injury in the second half of life. Depending on the student’s history, I’ll teach them a handful of techniques that will help resolve their imbalances. These techniques may focus on postural-imbalances or breathing disturbances – usually it’s a combination of the two that yields rewa...