Yoga Research & Beyond

Catherine Cowey and I discuss an article on chronic pain and hypermobility syndrome (HMS) from the Journal of Pain Research. This article gives a thorough overview of the many kinds of hypermobility conditions and symptoms and makes it very clear that it's a complicated subject. There's a wide spectrum of hypermobility syndromes and  symptoms which can make diagnosis challenging. The criteria are...

Are headstands safe? Jules Mitchell and I discuss a study about headstands from 2014. This is the first study of its kind that assessed loads on the neck and head in headstand.  We had different reactions to this study. When I read it, it reinforced my decision to exclude headstands from my practice and group classes. When she read it, it didn't change her mind about excluding it from group classe...

How does ankle instability affect the knee? In the previous episode Jenn Pilotti and I discussed proximal stability for distal mobility - how core stability affects the knees and ankles. But what about the other way around? How do distal joints affect more proximal ones? Many movement professionals work from the ground up, thinking about how the foot and ankle affect the rest of the kinetic chain....

Proximal stability for distal mobility is a principle that's often used in corrective exercise, manual treatment and personal training. Generally, it means that working on core stability can affect distal joints, providing more mobility. This is logical. A stable core may allow for less chaos in the periphery. In this episode Jenn Pilotti and I discuss 2 studies that look at how proximal strengthe...

Does Yoga improve athletic performance? It might, but we don't know exactly how. Jules Mitchell was researching how yoga affects athletics performance for her upcoming book and discovered a gap in the literature. There's plenty of research about the SAID principle and adaptation, but not enough about yoga's impact on sports performance. In this episode we talk about the only two studies that cover...

Yoga and Movement Research Series How does Bikram yoga affect heart rate and core temperature? To be completely honest neither Cat nor I are fans of Bikram yoga or hot yoga in general. Nonetheless, we did our best to discuss Bikram yoga and this study as objectively as possible. In this episode we reviewed an ACE (American Council on Exercise) sponsored study done in 2015, which examines the effec...

Jenn Pilotti and I discuss a thorough review of 29 studies that answers this question: Are core stability exercises the best for back pain? The meta review was conducted in 2014 and is entitled, " An update of stabilization exercises for low back pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis ." The studies compare core stabilization techniques (side plank, plank and bird dog) to other forms of exer...

In this bonus episode Jules Mitchell (biomechanist and yoga educator) asks me questions about my new workshops for teachers called the Yoga Re:Alignment Workshop Series. We also talk  about the role of movement science in yoga asana and whether or not yoga is about more than the poses...of course it is.

Whether or not to use mirrors in yoga classes is a popular topic of discussion among teachers. This is the first episode in my new yoga and movement research series. I talk to Jules Mitchell about the efficacy of using mirrors when learning yoga asana. We discuss a study entitled, "Effect on performance of learning a pilates skill with or without a mirror."  The study examines a pilates move calle...

Dan John has been lifting weights since 1965 and coaching for more than 30 years.  He holds the American record in the Weight Pentathlon event, won the American Masters Discus Championships several times, and has competed in Olympic weightlifting and the Highland Games. Dan has a common sense approach to fitness that appeals to most of the strength coaches and trainers that I know. We talk about s...

Charlie Reid, CSCS, CMT, considers himself an "anti-guru", an educator, and an enthusiast for all things strength and conditioning related. His pragmatic approach centers around helping others find solutions that are practical, while sifting through all the hype so prevalent on the internet. We talk about strength and mobility training, some research behind the The Biggest Loser, how most commerci...

Greg Lehman, Physiotherapist and Chiropractor talks about why pain science and biomechanics need to be reconciled. People think that pain science challenges everything in biomechanics, but it doesn't. It challenges it a little. We can and should still use biomechanics. It's still important but you have to add all the psycho social stuff to it as well. We talk about biomechanics research, how and w...

Shelly Prosko, PT, PYT, CPI, specializes in pain science, yoga therapy and pelvic floor health. She's dedicated to bridging the gap between yoga and modern healthcare philosophies and believes this integration is highly effective in creating and sustaining optimal health. Shelly has been integrating yoga into her physical therapy treatments since 1998, addressing a wide variety of conditions and p...

Last year Mel, Kim and I decided to write a book in order to dispel some of the popular claims we hear in mainstream yoga classes. Exposing Yoga Myths V1 is the result of those efforts. In this episode we talk about some responses (good and bad) to the book. We go off on some fun tangents too about Ace of Bass and Insane Clown Posse. don't ask. Co-owners of SMARTer Bodies™, Kim-Lien Kendall and Me...

Diana and Helen are both experienced yoga teachers and physical therapists. They've created a course that reflects the thirst for applicable and teachable knowledge regarding functional anatomy both for the yoga teacher and the physical therapist. Each course aims to fill the gap between basic training and a safer, smarter practice. Both are grounded in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and therap...

Lauren Ohayon is a body mechanics geek who relishes in constant learning, laughing and community. Through her biomechanics and movement studies, Lauren has developed a style of teaching that helps students gain awareness of their structure as well as understand how to re-balance their bodies. She also specializes in helping clients with diastasis recti, organ prolapse and other pelvic floor issues...

Redefining stretching with Biomechanist and Yoga Educator Jules Mitchell, MS. We talk about her upcoming book, different types of stretching like PNF, the shoulder joint in downward dog and why she doesn’t say the word "tight" anymore when referring to muscles.

Mobility maker and creator of Radius Yoga, Dana Santas talks more about how she works with athletes, why breathing is THE fundamental movement pattern and her beef with good posture.

Mel, Kim and I talk about the myth that doing yoga gives you long and lean muscles and a  Vogue article about foam rolling that Tony Gentilcore busted up. We touch on body image, eating disorders, women in sports and dance, Ronda Rousey, Serena Williams, Misty Copeland and Mel summons Rage Against the Machine.

Mel, Kim (SMARTer Bodies founders) and I talk more about our book, Exposing Yoga Myths. We riff more about cultural misappropriation, yoga teachers trying to make a living, Lululemon, Kirtan, yoga can't hurt you, the Yoga Alliance and teacher regulation, the Dunning-Kruger effect, and pain as a teacher. oh yeah, it's on!

In this episode I talk to Mel and Kim of SMARTer Bodies about our upcoming ebook, Exposing Yoga Myths. We talk about how we started working together, cultural misappropriation in the yoga world, and infallible gurus, and how we're not afraid to contextualize yoga in science and physiology. Co-owners of SMARTer Bodies™, Kim-Lien Kendall and Melissa Gutierrez have collaborated for more than 5 years...

How has modern yoga practice changed since the early 90s? Can the Yoga Alliance or International Association of Yoga Therapists do a better job credentialing yoga teachers? J. Brown and I also discuss injury in yoga practice and the controversial reactions sparked by Kino McGregor's hip injury. J. Brown is the owner  of the Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn and the creator of the Gentle is the New A...

How does exercise affect the brain? After achieving tenure at NYU and researching how memory works in the brain, neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki realized that her life was in the lab and her social and physical well being were suffering because of it. She wasn't maximizing the potential of her brain because everything you do or don't do affects the brain. She decided to do something about it - to...

Dr. Evan Osar - creator of Fitness Education Seminars and author of Corrective Exercise Solutions talks to us about his approach to movement which requires alignment breathing and control. He shares why you probably don't need to release your psoas, why we need to earn the right to get to higher level complex exercises, what happens when we try to over use muscles like the TVA (transversus abdomin...

Mike Fitch, creator of Animal Flow and Global Bodyweight Training talks about what we get out of quadrupedal movements, his experiences with Parkour and other influences of Animal Flow, and his new Bodyweight Athlete program. His advice: "Whatever you do, learn something new. Be willing to be bad at something! "