At Pure Yoga, Loren Bassett (in purple) leads mountain climber exercises at a heated Bassett's Boot Camp, which incorporates elements of yoga and interval training.

We recently had the opportunity to take classes at Pure Yoga’s Eastside Manhattan location to check out some of the newest offerings, including hot Figure 4 and Ki Power Vinyasa, as well as a mash-up of hot power yoga and interval training called Bassett’s Boot Camp. Plus, we also caught up with Flowmotion Yoga and meSheeky founder Sarah Tomson Beyer for a recent class at Pure.

The first advantage of the 105–110˚ F temperatures in the heated Figure 4 class became obvious almost immediately. As the workout’s founder, former professional ballet dancer Kate Albarelli, led us through the repeated motions at the barre and our muscles burned and shook and sweat poured from our brow, we thought, “At least this sweat will mask our tears.” We did however, feel the intended benefit of the heat — a deeper stretch in the muscles. The toned and energetic Albarelli kept us on task, providing words of encouragement and gentle reminders about keeping the “4” form, the ballet stretch where one crosses the ankle over the opposite knee and bends forward, as a thigh and glutes stretch. Aside from barre work, the class incorporates elements of classic and modern dance, Pilates, yoga, free-weights toning and resistance training.

Also new at Pure’s NYC locations: Ki Power Vinyasa, a mixture of yoga, meditation and martial arts created by Isauro Fernandez. A longtime martial arts practitioner, he holds black belts in both judo and tae kwon do and discovered yoga when rehabilitating from a shoulder injury. After a short meditation, the flow-style class melded traditional vinyasas with graceful martial arts moves. According to Fernandez, “ki” means “life force,” something that you’re meant to connect with during the moving meditation. We thought the class nicely balanced fast-paced vinyasas and strength work with meditation and sense of peace.

Since we do Bikram and vinyasa yoga as well as regularly attend a fitness boot camp, we were intrigued by Bassett’s Boot Camp. Developed by Loren Bassett with personal trainer Cole McDonough, the workout combines vinyasa yoga, cardio intervals and strength training in a heated room. This means we did down dogs and sun salutations, as well as burpees, mountain climbers and push-ups with hand weights, plus toning exercises with weights and squats. At one point, Bassett told us that if anyone dropped out the forearm plank before the allotted time, we’d all have to start over. (We’re not sure if she was kidding, but that was motivation enough for everyone in the class to hold the pose.) Since this combined three of our favorite workout elements — heat, boot camp and yoga — we’re a fan.

Last year, we told you about Flowmotion, a version of yoga that features flowing sequences for a twist on a traditional practice. We caught up with founder Sarah Tomson Beyer, who is based in Park City, UT, when she was in New York City recently. She led us through a class that encourages yogis to step off the mat and find his or her own flow. And we were happy to hear that there’s now a 60-minute Flowmotion video available at Yoga Download ($3.99 for one-time, $8.99 to buy) so we can practice at home. A playlist ($12.78) is available to purchase separately on iTunes. There’s also a Flowmotion app.

Thirsty and in need of a protein boost after all that working out? After her class, Bassett shared the modifications she makes to Juice Generation’s Protein Buzz with us: Opt for the whey protein and almond milk, and ask for half a banana (without the berries) and one scoop of peanut butter.

Is there a yoga fusion class you’d like to try?

Melina Jampolis, M.D., provides simple tenets to healthy eating and weight loss in "The Calendar Diet," with recipes from Karen Ansel, R.D., and exercise circuits from Ami Jampolis, C.S.C.S.

We’ve been eager to read The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life (Wagging Tail Press, 2012). Not only is it an extremely practical, concise and comprehensive guide to losing weight (and keeping it off), but the new book is written by two of our favorite nutrition experts — VIVmag Advisory Board member Melina Jampolis, M.D., and VIVmag contributor Karen Ansel, M.S., R.D.

As the name implies, The Calendar Diet goes beyond advice for losing weight, serving as a doctor-designed guide to weight management year-round, with research-based tips from Jampolis, easy and delicious recipes from Ansel and exercise routines from personal trainer (and Jampolis’ sister) Ami Jampolis, M.S., C.S.C.S.

Melina Jampolis says that she wanted to put the guidance she gives her patients on paper. “I see patients year-round for weight loss and spend a lot of time coaching them through challenging eating situations, waxing and waning motivation levels, exercise boredom and weight-loss plateaus,” she says. The seasonal eating approach, with relevant recipes, is “a great way to boost nutrition, save money and save the environment by buying locally whenever possible,” Jampolis says.

What can you expect to eat on the diet? Lean protein, healthy fats, whole grains and plenty of vegetables. In the “Getting Started” chapter, you’ll also discover advice on helpful tools, from a food journal to small bowls for portion control. (For a guide to portion-control bowls, check out Ansel’s VIVmag story “Safe at Home Plate.”) The six principles of the diet, which include eating three meals and one to two snacks per day and including protein in most of those, are based on something Jampolis observed in 10 years of working with patients: “The simpler I make the principles of losing weight, the better.”

Each season has its own chapter (plus a special section devoted to the holiday season) with an overview, tips for building an exercise routine, behavioral strategies for the season and a list of seasonal produce. Plus you’ll find tips for navigating every eating holiday, from big food days like Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday to Mother’s Day and Columbus Day.

Special occasions hold pitfalls for dieters who use them as an excuse to cut loose, Ansel notes. “That can really burn some people,” she says. “Not only do they have trouble resisting temptation during those roadblock occasions, then after they do, they feel like they’ve blown their diet entirely. Then they get stuck in a rut where they can’t find the motivation to get back on track.” The recipe sections provide healthy, tasty alternatives, so dieters don’t feel deprived and can stave off temptation without feeling like they’ve blown it.

The exercise component of the book includes photos of the moves demonstrated by Ami Jampolis. Readers can design their own circuit from a variety of exercise combinations; each circuit includes nine exercises of six-strength based exercises and three cardiovascular exercises. These include tried-and-true squats, lunges, planks and crunches to the creatively named spine strengthener Superman (lying facedown with hips touching the floor and arms and legs raised for 3-second intervals) and the Fire Hydrants (a knee lift on all fours).

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, a diet roadblock featuring American versions of Mexican food, such as nachos and other cheese-drenched dishes. Here’s an easy-to-prepare, nutritious dish from The Calendar Diet that’s rich in fresh Latin flavors. And go easy on the margaritas, of course — and not just for your head’s well-being on May 6. The Calendar Diet recommends a limit of three alcoholic drinks per week, and skipping sugary cocktails when possible. Margaritas typically have an average of 300 calories, but if you want to celebrate, try making your own margarita without the mix, using tequila, fresh lime juice, club soda and a pinch or two of sugar.

Chili Lime Chicken
Serves 2
2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 pinches salt, divided
2 pinches, pepper, divided
1 pinch garlic powder
½ teaspoon plus 1 pinch chili powder, divided
4 teaspoons canola oil
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
2 radishes, thinly sliced

1. Season chicken with 1 pinch each salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 10–12 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F, turning halfway. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. While chicken is cooking, whisk together lime juice, honey, cilantro and remaining canola oil, salt, pepper and chili powder.

4. Toss romaine, cucumber and radishes in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with half dressing and toss well.

5. Divide salad between 2 plates. Top each with 1 piece of chicken and drizzle with remaining dressing.

NUTRITION SCORE (per serving)
279 calories
Fat 13 g
 (1.7 g saturated)
Carbs 10 g
Protein 30 g
Fiber 3 g
Calcium 61 mg
Iron 2.2 mg
Sodium 239 mg

What are some of your own biggest healthy eating pitfalls?

Actor Nicole Ari Parker models her Save Your Do GymWrap, specially designed to protect hair while working out.

There are plenty of excuses to skip exercising, but now there’s one you can’t use anymore: It will mess up your hair. Nicole Ari Parker, former star of the Showtime TV series Soul Food and now starring on Broadway as Blanche Dubois in the Tennessee Williams classic A Streetcar Named Desire, has created a new product called Save Your Do GymWrap, a stylish headband that lets cool air in while allowing heat to escape.

Parker came up with the idea for practical reasons. “Hair is an issue for most women and after washing, blow-drying, flat-ironing, curling, braiding, twisting and spending the time and money on it, who wants to mess it up by sweating and having to do it all over again?” she says. But last summer, when U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., attended the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show and spoke publicly about African-American women not exercising because of this hair issue, Parker realized her headband had a bigger cause. “This nationwide call to action really inspired me,” she says.

The Save Your Do GymWrap comes in three styles ($24.95–$29.95): full triangle wrap, wide band and narrow band, and are available in three colors (black, celadon and fuchsia).

Ten percent of the proceeds go to the Sophie’s Voice Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Parker and her husband, actor Boris Kodjoe, to raise awareness about spina bifida, a condition with which their daughter Sophie (the organization’s namesake) was born.

One lucky VIVmag reader will win a Wide Band Save Your Do GymWrap (retail value: $24.95). To enter, click here!

Check out the current issue of VIVmag to read more about Nicole Ari Parker and what her latest role — which earned her a 2012 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination — taught her about herself.

Have you ever skipped a workout because of your hair?

Photo credit: Courtesy Save Your Do

Mountain-bike racers Lisa Priestley (left) and Heidi Volpe take Club Ride Apparel's Bandara (right) and Short Shot tops out for a test ride.

We’ve complained in the past about the dorkiness of serious cycling attire for women, so we were happy to report in the current issue that we had seen an improvement among some manufacturers in fashion awareness for women cyclists. Now, we’ve discovered Club Ride Apparel, which brings its own unique style to your road and trail adventures.

Club Ride is a relative newcomer to the biz as a 5-year-old, but worth seeking out for its cool, street-inspired wear. The women’s line offers only four styles in various colors, but if you’re yearning to cowgirl up, you’ll love the snap pearl buttons with hidden, high-quality backup zipper and Western yoke on the Bandara wicking jersey ($89.99).

We did an off-road ride in Sun Valley, ID, wearing the Bandara on some sweet single track — the shirt was comfortable and functional. It allowed lots of unrestricted room to maneuver the bike. There are two zipper pockets to keep ID, cash and keys secure.

Club Ride jerseys finesse that line between formless sack and skin-tight racing jersey. The panel-cut sides give the shirts enough shape to allow for a nice silhouette.

Other styles include the Long Shot (long sleeves, $94.99), which provides excellent sun protection. This one you can pass off as civvy clothes, so if you’re a commuter and have a short, not-too-sweaty trip to the office, no need to do the Superman change. The similarly styled Short Shot ($89.99) has short cap sleeves; and the Dayz-Eez ($79.99), which is a sleeveless hoodie style with a two-way zipper.

Who wants to wear gear that screams “I RIDE 24/7,” no matter how much you love your bike?

Photo credit: Michael Darter

Today through March 9, get 10 percent off a Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week with our special code for readers.

We often find ourselves wishing for extra time, whether we’re hitting the snooze button for an extra five minutes of sleep or yearning for an additional day every weekend just to get everything done. Every four years, we get the “extra” day of Feb. 29, and though Leap Day isn’t an official holiday, we’re determined to make the most of it. Check out some of our Leap Day suggestions, from learning something new to booking some spa time (with a special discount for VIVmag readers)!

Pamper yourself. Wednesday might not be an ideal spa day, but that doesn’t mean we can’t plan for some relaxation. Today through March 9, enter the special code VIVLEAP to receive 10 percent off your Spa & Wellness Gift Card by Spa Week! The cards are redeemable at more than 5,000 spas nationwide, and they never expire.

Do something good. Celebrate the leapers in nature: Zoos throughout the world are participating in the Leaping Ahead of Extinction program, when Amphibian Ark encourages people to find out more about conservation programs and activities. “For every one species of bird or mammal in trouble, there are two to three amphibian species on the brink of extinction,” says Kevin Zippel, Amphibian Ark program director.

Break tradition. According to Irish folklore, leap day is an acceptable day for women to propose to men. As a feminist, we’re not sure how we feel about this, but we might take in a guilty-pleasure viewing of the rom-com misadventures of Amy Adams in Leap Year.

Try your luck. For the first time ever, the doors of Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, and Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, will be open all 24 hours of Leap Day for “One More Disney Day.” It’s also the last day to enter the sweepstakes to win a vacation for four for either the Disneyland or the Disney World resorts.

And there’s one more day to enter our VIVmag giveaways! We’re giving away an Aftelier natural, hand-blended perfume of your choice in a glass pendant, a set of Nailtini polishes and a copy of Be the Miracle (Grand Central Publishing, 2012), the inspirational new book by Regina Brett. There also are two ways to enter to win a copy of Handmade Chic (Rodale Books, 2012), a book of stylish DIY accessories from former Project Runway finalist Laura Bennett. Enter through our site or follow VIVmag on Twitter and tweet the following: “Enter to win ‘Handmade Chic’ by Laura Bennett. Follow @vivmag & retweet!” Today’s the last day to enter to win these prizes, but stay tuned for our upcoming March giveaways!

Get physical. Spice up your extra day with a new kind of exercise. Transport yourself to Pacific Islands with Hot Hula Fitness and SurfSET Fitness. You’ll tighten your core by doing hula dance moves and do some cardio while surfing indoors. With a new Flowmotion yoga app and a barre3 streaming channel, it’s possible to try two of our favorite workouts on the go!

Learn something new. Make plans to attend a Skillshare class, and learn from experts on how to knit, start your own company and more. Whether you want to learn more about Photoshop in Philadelphia or you’re a New Yorker who wants to find funds for your startup, Skillshare can help you find a class. (There’s even the Nutritionist’s Guide to Boozing, an RD-led class in NYC for those who want to adopt healthier drinking habits.)

What are going to do with your extra day?

Photo credit: Courtesy Spa Week

Hot Hula is inspired by the dances of the Pacific Islands and designed to define the core, with an emphasis on the abs, glutes, quads and arms. Founder Anna-Rita Sloss, born in New Zealand to Western Samoan parents, once weighed 210 pounds before developing a passion for fitness and eventually melding that with her love of Polynesian culture to create Hot Hula.

Though Hot Hula is not done in a heated room, Sloss promises you will build body heat with the workout set to Polynesian beats and reggae in a welcoming group setting. Sloss teaches regularly in the Los Angeles area, at health clubs such as UFC Gym, 24 Hour Fitness and Equinox; check the full list on her page for classes in your area. To hula at home, there’s the Hot Hula Fitness three-DVD set ($39.99) containing beginner, intermediate and advanced 60-minute workouts.

Later this year, Sloss plans to introduce a new hour-long workout called Hot Fusion, which combines strength, flexibility and balance training with “old school” dance — as in the Tootsie Roll, the Charleston, etc. — and other moves set to retro music. She plans to offer Hot Fusion classes and to eventually film a home workout DVD.

If you prefer crashing waves to island rhythms, check out the SurfSET workout and RipSurfer X — an indoor machine with a board that mimics the feel of surfing (minus the water, of course). Designed by Mike Hartwick after he retired from professional hockey in 2010, the RipSurfer X can be used not only to re-create surfing moves, but also for interval training workouts with lunges, jump-ups and resistance work with a paddle. (The instability of the board makes even simple push-ups more difficult.)

Various SurfSET workouts focus on cardio, strength, balance and core (the SurfSet Classic incorporates all of those). There’s also a power pop-up class to master pushing up to standing on your board, as well as a paddleboard class and even a board yoga class. “Your imagination is really the only thing that’s limiting here,” says Hartwick. “The versatility of it is amazing.”

The next four-week session at The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in New York City runs from March 5 to April 2, and currently costs $140 for the weekly class option or $265 for twice weekly. New classes in Boston and additional New York City locations will be announced; check the classes page to request SurfSET at your gym. The RipSurfer X also will be available soon to purchase for home use for $1,200. Initial demand was so great that Hartwick’s original plan to produce only 50 per week had to be scrapped in order to make more. The purchase of a home machine also comes with a free month’s subscription to a SurfSET streaming video channel of workouts, and within the next six months, Hartwick anticipates adding a live feed and classes with celebrity trainers and pro surfers.

We love the idea of doing beach-inspired workouts year-round — and, admittedly, the idea of surfing without water and practicing our hula moves at home. Do you have a summer sport you’d like to see modified to become an indoor workout?

Sadie Lincoln, founder of barre3, created a mybarre3 channel so subscribers can stream her workouts anywhere.

Over the past few years, we’ve had the opportunity to take a class with barre3 founder Sadie Lincoln and a yoga workshop led by Flowmotion creator Sarah Tomson Beyer as they passed through New York City from Portland, OR, and Park City, UT, respectively. And now, with a mybarre3 streaming video subscription and a new Flowmotion app, we can do both almost anywhere!

Fans of barre3 — a blend of ballet barre, yoga and Pilates that is rapidly expanding throughout the country — could already work out at home with the barre3 Total Body Lift Workout DVD. But to provide more workouts and shorter options, Lincoln recently launched mybarre3, an online channel that allows subscribers unlimited access to a variety of workouts.

For $15 per month, you can choose among programs lasting 10, 30, 40 or 60 minutes. Each month, at least one new video will be added to the mybarre3 library. “I have a confession,” says Lincoln. “I designed these workouts to fit into my life!  For the past year I found myself doing short but powerful 10-minute workouts throughout my day. They worked so well for me, I decided to extend this offering to a bigger audience.”

Beyer’s Flowmotion Yoga app brings her graceful, fluid — and fun — yoga style straight to the iPhone or iPad. The 99-cent app features three sun salutations that you can follow at your own pace on the manual setting or with instructional audio. It’s recommended that yogis start with the salutations one to three times, then gradually work up to six to nine times. A three-song playlist also is available to purchase separately.

What’s your favorite on-the-go workout?

Photo credit: Courtesy barre3

Is this photo making you hungry? New research shows that simply thinking about exercise can increase your appetite.

The new year is still young, and we’re doing a good job of staying resolute: We’re watching what we eat and trying to be active so we can shed a few pounds. Trouble is, we find exercise works up quite an appetite. And it turns out we don’t even have sweat through a spin or Zumba class to put our appetite into overdrive: Recent research shows that just thinking about exercise can make us hungry.

This latest news is courtesy of Brian Wansink, Ph.D., a food psychologist with the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab and the author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam, 2010). Wansink and his colleagues asked 94 people to participate in a faux shopping attitudes study at a mall. After the people answered a series of questions, some were asked to read a scenario about exercise, followed by a few questions about their hunger and emotions at that moment. To compensate them for their time, all of the participants were then offered snacks, while the researchers recorded how much the participants served themselves. The results were mind-boggling: People who were prompted to think about exercise served themselves 55 percent more than people who weren’t asked to think about exercise!

Wansink’s research confirms that actual exercise can also lead to greater food consumption — if we’re feeling virtuous about exercising. He and his team had study subjects go on a two-mile walk, telling some of them it was a “nature walk” and others that it was an “exercise hike.” Wansink says, “If they thought they were just enjoying nature, when they came back and ate lunch, they ate less than if they thought it was an exercise hike.” We guess perception really is everything!

The lesson of this research, according to Wansink: Don’t think of exercise as a way to lose weight, but rather as a way to get toned and healthy. And definitely don’t reward yourself calorically for hitting the gym. It takes a lot of effort to burn a significant amount of calories — and it’s counterproductive to assume that because you’ve exercised for half an hour, you can eat 200 more calories that day. In truth, most exercisers overestimate the amount of calories they burn during exercise anyway, either due to incorrect guesstimating or using a faulty calorie counter (like the ones found on some exercise machines).

To learn more about Wansink’s research — he’s well-known for designing clever studies that reveal subtle food consumption behaviors — visit the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab website.

During this winter slump, many of us also spend a lot of time thinking about exercising — but not always making it to the gym. This study gives us a little more incentive to follow up on those thoughts. (Too bad thinking about exercise doesn’t also burn more calories!)

Have you noticed that you eat more after exercising?

Photo credit: Courtesy Zumba

Proceeds from the yoga event benefit the Somaly Mam Foundation. Mam (pictured) has decicated her life to helping end sex slavery after being sold to a brothel as a girl.

While removing our shoes before yoga class one day, we noticed a poster for the Yoga Freedom Project, created by Off the Mat NYC and the Somaly Mam Foundation (SMF) to bring attention throughout the month of January to the issue of sex trafficking. The project culminates with a two-hour yoga class on Jan. 31 at Twelve21, 12 West 21 St. in the Flatiron District, with a lineup of nine of New York City’s top yoga teachers. For those not in New York, we also found ways you can help bring awareness to this important — and often overlooked — global issue. An estimated 27 million people currently are enslaved throughout the world, and one to two million children will be sold into slavery within the next year.

The Somaly Mam Foundation is dedicated to ending slavery, rescuing and empowering survivors and lending support to shelter and rehabilitation programs globally. Namesake and co-founder Somaly Mam was sold to a brothel as a 14-year-old girl in Cambodia by a man posing as her grandfather. After being forced to watch her best friend brutally murdered, Mam escaped and dedicated her new life to helping others. Her full story can be found in her memoir, The Road of Lost Innocence (Spiegel & Grau, 2008); a portion of the proceeds benefit the foundation.

Participating yoga studios have been selling Mam’s book as well as tank tops ($25) commemorating the upcoming yoga event. The tops are available with or without the list of participating studios and instructors, who will lead the two-hour class in about 10-minute intervals, according to Heather Snyder, co-creator and organizer of the Yoga Freedom Project. The teachers include Elena Brower of Virayoga, Tricia Donegan of Bikram Yoga Lower East Side, Sri Dharma Mittra of Dharma Yoga, Dana Flynn of Laughing Lotus, Cyndi Lee of OM Yoga, Alan Finger of Ishta Yoga, Suzanne Sterling, Jodie Rufty and Sierra Bender. Tickets are $50, plus a small service fee if you purchase them online, and benefit the Somaly Mam Foundation. The class starts at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30).

Raffle tickets will be sold for $5 at the door for a chance to win the following prizes: a certificate for Deep Root Massage, a Bikram Yoga Lower East Side monthly unlimited pass, a Dharma Yoga poster, private yoga with Eric Stoneberg, Karma Warrior Clothes, a Sierra Bender workshop, Virayoga T-shirts, an Ishta 10-class card and signed book, a Yoga Vida monthly unlimited pass, private instruction with Marjorie Nass, Electric Yoga clothing and mat and a Hyde Off the Mat tank top. After the class, there will be a reception with light snacks.

No plans to be in New York City that day? Check out the SMF events page and PROJECT FUTURES events listings, or find out how you can take action, from participating in online campaigns to hosting an event. Donate online to SMF or visit the Empowerment Store and purchase an item made by a slavery survivor, such as the silk Empowerment Necklace ($25) or Freedom Scarves ($50).

Mam’s story has opened our eyes to modern day slavery, and we’re inspired to see so many styles of yoga unite for a worthy cause! Are you inspired to raise awareness about human trafficking?

Photo credit: Courtesy Yoga Freedom Project

While yoga can cause injury, a recent book excerpt in "The New York Times Magazine" has received a lot of attention for its assertion that "yoga can wreck your body."

The yoga community has been abuzz since an article called “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” was published Jan. 5 in The New York Times Magazine. The excerpt is from an upcoming book called The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards (Simon & Schuster, 2012), by William J. Broad. The section that ran in the Times looked at the risk and severity of yoga injuries. What stuck with us were the gruesome anecdotes: yoga-induced popped ribs, hip replacements, nerve damage and strokes.

Broad, a yoga student himself, related how, after rupturing a disc in his back several years ago, he turned to yoga for therapy. But his faith in yoga’s healing powers was shaken after his back gave out during a pose. Broad cites medical journals and speaks to several yoga instructors about injuries, including yoga instructor Glenn Black, who links injuries to insufficient teacher training and the recent phenomenon of modern-day, largely sedentary people practicing the traditional asanas of Indian yogis. Broad then spoke to Black a year later, after the instructor had undergone surgery for spinal degeneration he attributed to yoga.

After reading the article, as we went into our first backbend in our Bikram yoga class (singled out in the article for its own types of risks), we were suddenly crippled — with nagging doubt. Were we going too far? To relax students, some of instructors joke that if your head falls off during the first backbend, you get free yoga for life. Suddenly, the vision haunted us: Is yoga inherently dangerous?

Then a yoga instructor pointed us to a blog titled “How the NYT Can Wreck Yoga” by respected teacher Eddie Stern, director of Ashtanga Yoga New York. While courteous about Broad’s perspective — as most yogis’ responses have been — Stern contradicts many of Broad’s claims, noting that the article is “heavy on anecdote and slim on science,” and leans toward the sensational.

With Stern’s post are responses from Marshall Hagins, Ph.D., P.T.,  a professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Long Island University, and Rick Bartz, a New York chiropractor, both of whom noted an error in the article that the cervical spine can rotate only 50 degrees. While Broad says the yoga-related emergency room visits have gone from 13 to 46 in two years, Hagins put things in perspective when he observes that the number of people doing yoga has increased by 15 million in 10 years, as well as noting that yoga injuries are far fewer than in most sports (especially contact sports, such as football).

What everyone seems to agree upon is that yoga does pose some risk for injury. Stern says that some are due to overzealousness on the part of the student. And he agrees there’s often a lack of thorough teacher training — the byproduct of yoga becoming a booming industry. “Yoga has been McDona-fied,” he notes.

As for Broad’s book, we’re tempted to dismiss it based this one chapter, but we’re intrigued by Simon & Schuster’s description, which promises the work cuts through mysticism, hype and superstition and “celebrates what’s real and shows what’s illusory, describes what’s uplifting and beneficial and what’s flaky and dangerous — and why.” And Priscilla Warner, author of Learning to Breathe (Free Press, 2011), which we told you about recently, is quoted on the book’s jacket that it is a motivation to practice yoga.

What do you think about this recent discussion of yoga’s benefits and risks?

Photo credit: Lise Gagne