Yoga & Science

Dr. Bethany Kok believes that lovingkindness meditation possess beneficial health effects, but she makes sure to point out that a person's physiological state when they start such meditation can affect how much a person gets those benefits.

Dr. Stephen Porges points out how many of the scientists who study yoga are people who have benefited from it.

Dr. Shirley Telles describes a survey asking people why they practice yoga. The top two replies were health, and a sense beyond themselves. While people are getting more and more involved in the spiritual aspect of yoga, and people feel an awareness of its benefits, researchers are still working to figure out a means for quantifying the spirituality of yoga.

Dr. Pam Jeter looks at yoga research as a necessary body of evidence that requires rigorous studies in order to judge the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of yoga practice.

In her interview, Dr. Gail Parker shares how yoga has the power to heal the wounds of racial distress.

Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa is interested in the ways yoga allows us to self-regulate multiple components of our internal well-being.

In this installment of Yoga & Science, Dr. Stacy D. Hunter describes a study conducted to determine the effects of 12 weeks of hot yoga on vascular health.She has previously published several pioneering studies on the impact of yoga on vascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness, and with this study she aims to isolate how yoga in a heated environment effects changes in vascular function.

Dr. Erich Anderer identifies yoga as an important means of maintaining spinal health and avoiding surgery, and also notes that yoga can potentially provide benefits when dealing with somatic disease processes.