Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

In Part 2 in our series on Headstand, Scott shares a pose for people who don't feel comfortable with Headstand, which delivers most of the benefits.

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.

In Andrea's second video, she presents the Alignment Yoga approach to Uddiayana Bandha, and a simple Pre-Yoga technique to begin accessing it. This exercise helps wake up vital energy in the lower belly, and can help ease tension in the lower back, jaw, neck and shoulders.

The angle of the sun and the cooler nights are a reliable indicator that autumn is upon us. And every four years, the arrival of autumn hearkens the arrival of something more than cooler weather – it announces the arrival of the US presidential elections. When you live in a town like Madison, WI, politics are an inescapable part of daily life. Whether you’re liberal or conservative (or somewhere in between) it seems like everybody has an opinion – and quite often, a strongly held opinion! Each election cycle, I’m reminded how individual members of the yoga community often make assumptions about the other members of the community. Because we share an interest in yoga, we may assume we share other beliefs and interests, too. Sometimes that may be the case, though quite often, it’s a sort of wishful thinking or projection. Sharing an interest in yoga may predict elements of behavior, but the vastness of the human experience virtually guarantees that the person on the mat next to us contai...

We're overjoyed to welcome Andrea Russell, Assistant Director of AY Trainings, to our blog. She has taught yoga for over 10 years and been involved in Alignment Yoga trainings since they began. In her first video, she demonstrates a classic Pre-Yoga technique of Alignment Yoga - the Dead Bug series. This invigorating exercise develops your core and increases coordination, especially between the right and left sides of the body (and the brain).

Through the practice of yoga, we can become friends with the impermanent nature of things. We can look in the mirror and, rather than seeing a collection of faults, can see a living, breathing tapestry that describes the life we’ve lived. Most mechanics consider Snap-On tools to be the very finest. While some mechanics may claim to prefer other brands (Matco, Mac, etc), it’s virtually inevitable that price versus value enters the equation. Without regard to price, it’s hard to beat the finish, quality, and durability of Snap-On tools. I clearly remember my first Snap-On wrench– a 10mm combination. This Snap-On wrench was the crown jewel of my toolbox for many years, and offered me some valuable lessons about fidelity, aging, and impermanence. I’ve long enjoyed an interest in the mechanical world. As a boy I dissembled and reassembled my bicycle at the slightest provocation. In my early teens, I graduated to a Honda moped, which almost ran better after my various modifications. As I ...

It can take a long time to break bad habits. When an activity or a movement is repeated many times, the patterns seep into the bones, and we create what’s called motor memory. Athletes both relish and curse the creation of motor memory. For example, an experienced basketball player has shot so many baskets that they no longer have to think about where to place their elbow, or how the ball is going to leave their fingertips. The activity has become second nature… as automatic, perhaps, as breathing. In my first year of college, I found myself on the curse side of motor memory. I’d been high-jumping since elementary school, and had worked with several well-intentioned coaches along the way. One of these coaches emphasized that the drive-leg (not the jumping leg) was to scuff the ground at takeoff. Since I had enjoyed some success with his other cues, I practiced this drive-leg technique with sufficient enthusiasm to burn it into my motor memory. And since my success continued under...