For Everybody
Western Science vs. Eastern Wisdom
This was the very first, and still my favorite, of my Yoga Journal articles. It describes my first trip to India, and my efforts to reconcile what I’d learned in medical school with what I was experiencing in my yoga practice. This is a slightly different version than the one which appeared in the magazine, correcting a couple of small errors that happened during editing.
50 Ways to Heal a Yogi
This is a version of the article published in Yoga Journal under the name “38 Ways Yoga Keeps You Fit.” It's much more complete than the article that appeared in the magazine; it also groups the ways yoga improves health into categories like “Musculoskeletal,” Circulatory” and “Organ Function,” which makes it a little more user-friendly.
Yoga as a Technology for Life Transformation
How the millenia-old practice of yoga creates sustainable positive change. I wrote this article for the Kripalu catalogue just before completing my year as a scholar-in-residence at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.
Talking With Your Doctor About Your Yoga Practice
An article about how and why to talk about yoga with your doctor. Originally published in Yoga Journal.
Cold Caution
Advice on practicing yoga while dealing with the common cold.
Yoga for Weight Loss
A holistic and yogic approach to weight loss.
A Yogic Approach to Back Pain
Suffering from back pain? Yoga can help.
An Integrative Approach to Back Pain
Originally published in a slightly different form in New Age Journal (later renamed Body and Soul Magazine).
Padmasana on Prozac?
Taking an antidepressant won't interfere with your practice, nor does it make you any less of a yogi.
Using Yogic Awareness to Deepen Bodywork
How you can use yogic awareness to maximize the effects of everything from physical therapy and massage to myofascial release and craniosacral therapy.
Upside Downside
Risks and other things to consider before doing Sirsasana (Headstand).
Inversion Confusion
Menstruation and the controversy over the safety of inverted poses, from a medical as well as yogic perspective.
Managing Fibromyalgia
Some advice on using yoga to relieve symptoms and manage the disease.
Wrist Remedy
An excerpt from Yoga as Medicine's chapter on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which features the work of Tom Alden, a Boston-area chiropractor and yoga teacher.
The People's Pharmacy: Yoga as Medicine
An episode of The People's Pharmacy, which airs on many public radio stations, about the medical benefits of yoga and yoga therapy. With yoga therapist Carol Krucoff and musician and yogi K. Sridhar.
How Stress Affects Your Health
Foreword to Michael Lee's Book Turn Stress into Bliss.
Foreword to David Coulter's Book "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga"
Time Magazine Cover Story on Yoga
Published April 23, 2001. I was interviewed extensively for this article.
Is Yogic Levitation Possible?
Only available here! Be sure to click on the picture for the whole story.
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For Health Care Professionals
Western Science vs. Eastern Wisdom
This was the very first, and still my favorite, of my Yoga Journal articles. It describes my first trip to India, and my efforts to reconcile what I’d learned in medical school with what I was experiencing in my yoga practice. This is a slightly different version than the one which appeared in the magazine, correcting a couple of small errors that happened during editing.
50 Ways to Heal a Yogi
This is a version of the article published in Yoga Journal under the name “38 Ways Yoga Keeps You Fit.” It's much more complete than the article that appeared in the magazine; it also groups the ways yoga improves health into categories like “Musculoskeletal,” Circulatory” and “Organ Function,” which makes it a little more user-friendly.
50 Health Conditions Benefited By Yoga
A list I compiled of 50 health conditions for which there is scientific evidence of yoga's efficacy. It includes 15 pages of references to the relevant studies, organized by condition, for your convenience.
The Scientific Basis of Yoga Therapy
An introduction to the research documenting yoga therapy's effectiveness and suggesting some explanations of how it works.
Yoga and Cancer Care
Written specifically for physicians; originally published in Oncology International. Guiding your patients down the right path: while yoga's adaptability makes it appropriate for most cancer patients, not all classes will be right for all patients.
A Significant Stretch
A profile of me which appeared in the University of Wisconsin's Medical School Alumni Quarterly in 2008. PDF format.
Yoga vs. Yoga Therapy
A brief overview of the difference between yoga therapy and yoga classes.
Interview in San Francisco Medicine(published by the San Francisco Medical Society)
Focuses on my path to yoga and my desire to reach out to physicians and other health care professionals about yoga's health benefits.
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For Yoga Teachers
An Introduction to Yoga Therapy
Some basics for integrating therapeutic yoga into your students' lives.
So You Want to Be a Yoga Therapist?
An overview of the kinds of knowledge and training necessary for effective yoga therapy.
Doing Yoga Therapy Safely: Part One
An introduction to the topic of safety in yoga therapy.
Doing Yoga Therapy Safely: Part Two
Yoga therapy and the side effects of medication; knowing and respecting your limits.
How to Structure a Yoga Therapy Session
Interview, evaluation, and practice session: the first steps toward helping your student use yoga for rehabilitation.
The Role of Diet in Yoga
Some advice on helping your students to bring a yogic awareness to their nutritional choices.
Beyond Asana
Using other yogic tools such as breathing, chanting, and meditation in yoga therapy.
Use Your Imagination
Visualization for deepening yoga practice and therapy.
Ayurveda and Yoga Therapy
An introduction to Ayurveda and how knowledge of Ayurveda can add subtlety and depth to your teaching and personal practice.
The Philosophical Basis of Yoga Therapy
An introduction to the history and philosophy which informs the modern practice of yoga therapy.
The Scientific Basis of Yoga Therapy
An introduction to the research documenting yoga therapy's effectiveness and suggesting some explanations of how it works.
Yoga Therapy and the Mind-Body Connection (Part 1)
How yoga can deepen our understanding of the links between the state of one's mind and the state of one's body.
Yoga Therapy and the Mind-Body Connection (Part 2)
While Part 1 is on the Yoga Journal website, Part 2 can only be found here.
Inspiring Your Students to Practice
Some advice on helping your students develop and maintain a home practice.
Assessing Your Student's Progress (Part 1)
Part 1 focuses on indicators of progress in yoga practice.
Assessing Your Student's Progress (Part 2)
Part 2 focuses on broadening the way in which you and your students view success.
Yoga For Psychological and Emotional Problems
The first article in a series (below) on yoga as a complement to psychotherapy and other approaches to emotional and psychological conditions.
Yoga For Depression (Part 1)
Part 1 focuses on identifying the two major types of depression as conceptualized by Iyengar yoga practitioners: rajasic and tamasic, and introduces some asanas which can be helpful in dealing with depression.
Yoga For Depression (Part 2)
Part 2 discusses yogic practices beyond asana which can be helpful for depression, and some advice on helping your students begin the journey out of depression.
Yoga for Stress and Burnout
Yoga as an overall system for stress reduction; how yoga works with the physiology of stress.
Yoga for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Using yoga to address anxiety: both its symptoms and its root causes.
Yoga For Chronic Pain (Part 1)
Part 1 focuses on stress reduction and greater postural awareness as yogic tools for managing and alleviating chronic pain.
Yoga For Chronic Pain (Part 2)
Part 2 focuses on the role of breathwork and meditation in addressing chronic pain.
Yoga For Chronic Pain (Part 3)
Part 3 discusses yogic uses of sound for addressing pain, and looks at how yoga can be part of a broader, more holistic approach to health and pain management.
Working With Students Who Have Yoga Injuries (Part 1)
Some advice regarding sources of yoga injuries and a yogic approach to their treatment and prevention.
Working With Students Who Have Yoga Injuries (Part 2)
Dealing with common injuries: knee problems and aching backs.
Working With Students Who Have Yoga Injuries (Part 3)
Dealing with common injuries: wrists, hamstrings, and shoulders.
Working With Students Who Have Yoga Injuries (Part 4)
What do injuries have to teach us? Using yoga injuries and the healing process as a vehicle for deepening your students' practice.
Yoga Therapy for Rare or Undiagnosed Medical Conditions
Some advice on finding yogic tools to help your students, even when the medical diagnosis is unclear or unhelpful.
Coordinating Yoga Therapy With Doctors and Other Health Professionals
Some advice on communicating with your students' and their doctors about the complementary benefits of yoga and yoga therapy when combined with Western medical care.
Handle With Care
Some advice on what to do when you disagree with the medical care your student is receiving.
Yoga to Cultivate Compassion, Gratitude, and Joy (Part 1)
Part 1 focuses on breathwork.
Yoga to Cultivate Compassion, Gratitude, and Joy (Part 2)
Part 2 explores meditation, chanting, and other yogic tools.
Finding Your Dharma as a Path to Yogic Healing (Part 1)
An article on how helping a student find his or her dharma, or purpose, can aid in physical healing. Part 1 focuses on the connection between ill health and not knowing or not following your dharma.
Finding Your Dharma as a Path to Yogic Healing (Part 2)
Part 2 focuses on how to help your students find their purpose and pursue it.
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