In recent studies, yoga is being said to be less beneficial and possibly more hurtful than in the past. As a yogi, this study is surprising and kind of depressing to me.
New York Times writer William J. Broad discusses personal concerns in his book The Science of Yoga, after hurting his back doing an advanced yoga pose.
According to an article by The Atlantic, Broad claims that the practice’s appeal comes from its “low-impact nature” contrasted with other sports, but poses such as the head and shoulder stand and the plow-position raise “real injury concerns.” He discusses how few people anticipate “strokes and dislocations, dead nerves and ruptured lungs.”
Psychiatrist Carl Jung added that we are all familiar with relaxation, mental calmness, flexibility, reductions in blood pressure and even a better sex life being yoga benefits.
Although Broad claims that on the negative side one can gain weight due to the “yoga induced relaxation” which possibly leads to a reduction in your metabolic rate.”
He claims that extreme bending in the neck can lead to brain damage or a stroke. He also says there is no scientific proof that yoga increases oxygen into your blood.
Though he explains all these drawbacks, Broad still says that yoga can remain a good exercise source. He says there should be an awareness of the negative aspects as well as the positive.
Conversely, Los Angeles Times writer Gale Holland decided to put these claims to a test and went to several classes where she found that yoga is not only good for the body but also for the soul.
While taking a 5:15 a.m. Ashtanga Yoga class at Equinox in West Los Angeles the people Holland met were not only inspired by yoga, but were given strength to deal with difficult situations in their life.
UCLA administrator Michael Olsson, who suffered a paralyzing stroke 13 years ago, says out of all the other regimens he attempted, yoga is the one that allowed him to regain full mobility and strength.
Martin Petcoff, a 71-year old biomedical engineer, says the class allows him to get through the side effects of 21 years of chemotherapy for colon cancer.
As I have learned this semester, the benefits of yoga definitely outweigh the bad, and the best part of classes is the self-reflection and meditation that allows you to focus your energy.
Though Holland does warn us that meditation may not come easily to those with more energy, those minutes of focused breathing and meditation allow you to let go of stress, which is a huge problem in a country where time is a luxury.
In an interview for BBC News, developer and refiner of Ashtanga Yoga, Shri K. Pattabhi Jois said, “Ashtanga Yoga is helping many people throughout the world to balance the mental, physical and spiritual pressures and stresses posed by the modern world we live in.”
Yoga is not only a physical practice but also a mental one because, unlike spinning or any other workout routines, the poses do not come as easily and require you to be aware of how your entire body is behaving.
Holland also found that people in Los Angeles might reject yoga in favor of boot camp or spinning classes because of their attention span and what they see in the mirror.
That is definitely a possibility especially since yoga is a slow process, but like one of Holland’s interviewees claimed, yoga life is also a work in progress.
Nayeli Carillo is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
