Scott Anderson, Ph.D.

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.

While the glaciers covered much of North America’s midsection and smoothed the land into submission, a tiny sliver of the Middle West managed to escape glaciation. The Driftless Region contains a fascinating rise and fall of the land, in stark contrast with people’s view of a flat and lifeless Midwest. Tucked into a corner of the Driftless Region was a small experiment in communal living, sustainable agriculture, and yoga. Cress Spring Farm was home for an ever-changing array of characters, and even twenty-plus years later many of the meals, practices, and stories remain memorable. Uttered casually in the kitchen one morning, I still clearly remember Roger stating broadly, “if you can’t take your practice on the road, it ain’t worth shit.” Since many of us spent a good deal of time traveling, this comment piqued our interest. I don’t remember if Roger ever elaborated, but I did find affirmation that traveling is one of the best times to maintain, or even deepen, a personal yoga ...

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).