The Science of Yoga

Participated in 2005 study that found vigorous yoga produced few aerobic benefits.
    SWAMI RAMA (1925–1996). Yoga celebrity. Came to the United States from India in 1969. Underwent scientific testing in 1970 at the Menninger Foundation and displayed mental control over blood flow.
    RAMAKRISHNA (1836–1886). Hindu mystic. Described the physical sensations of kundalini running up his spine.
    MEL ROBIN (1934– ). Yogi scientist. Worked for decades at Bell Telephone Laboratories before studying the science of yoga. Authored books in 2002 and 2009 on the inner repercussions.
    W. RITCHIE RUSSELL (1903–1980). British neurologist at Oxford University. Warned in 1972 that extreme bending of the neck in strenuous yoga poses can result in debilitating strokes.
    LEE SANNELLA (1916–2010). San Francisco psychiatrist. Authored a 1976 book arguing that kundalini leads to enlightenment rather than madness. Helped found the Kundalini Crisis Clinic.
    BETH SHAW (1966– ). Los Angeles entrepreneur. Founded YogaFit, a vigorous style that combines push-ups, sit-ups, and other repetitive exercises with yoga postures.
    RANJIT SINGH (1780–1839). Maharajah of the Punjab. Sponsored a yogi’s live burial in 1837, providing an early case study for the science of yoga.
    SWAMI SIVANANDA (1887–1963). Guru to modern gurus. Taught Swami Vishnudevananda, who authored The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga and popularized the Sivananda style.
    TARA STILES (1981– ). Fashion model turned yoga teacher. Opened a Manhattan studio, Strala. Authored the 2010 book Slim Calm Sexy Yoga.
    CHRIS C. STREETER (1957– ). Psychiatrist and neurologistat the Boston University School of Medicine. Led studies reporting in 2007 and 2010 that the brains of yogis show increases in a neurotransmitter that acts as an antidepressant.
    JILL BOLTE TAYLOR (1959– ). Neuroscientist at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Experienced right-brain euphoria after a left-brain stroke, as recounted in her 2008 book, My Stroke of Insight.
    PATRICIA TAYLOR (1953– ). Money manager turned sex therapist. Studied Tantra and authored the 2002 book Expanded Orgasm.
    SHIRLEY TELLES (1962– ). Indian physician and researcher. Led team reporting in 2011 that yoga can ease rheumatoid arthritis, a painful inflammation of the joints.
    KEVIN J. TRACEY (1957– ). Immunologist at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island. Reported in 2002 that the vagus nerve—a major target of yogic stimulation—wields control over the immune system.
    AUREL VON TöRöK (1842–1912). Director of the Anthropological Museum in Budapest. Led a 1896 study of two yogis claiming to go into deathlike trances.
    KATIL UDUPA (1920–1992). Doctor and medical research director at the Benares Hindu University. Reported in 1974 that yoga can increase the production of testosterone, a sex hormone.
    RICHARD USATINE (1956– ). American physician. Helped run the family medicine program at the UCLA School of Medicine. Coauthored the 2002 book Yoga Rx.
    AMY WEINTRAUB (1951– ). Yoga teacher based in Tucson. Authored the 2004 book Yoga for Depression. Founded LifeForce yoga, a style designed for mood management.
    CARL VON WEIZSÄCKER (1912–2007). German physicist who determined how big stars like the sun shine. Vouched for Gopi Krishna as a genuine mystic and advocated the serious study of kundalini.
    DAVID GORDON WHITE (1953– ). Professor of religion at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Argued that the ancient yogis sought a mental state corresponding to the bliss of sexual orgasm.
    NAN WISE (1957– ). Sex researcher at Rutgers University.0 Scanned the brains of women who can think themselves into ecstasy.
    YOGANANDA (1893–1952). Celebrated yogi. Moved in 1920 from India to the United States. Authored the 1946 book Autobiography of a Yogi , the story rich in supermen and supernatural feats.
    PUNJAB YOGI ( c. 1837). Mystic showman. Underwent live burial in 1837 before the court of Ranjit Singh, maharajah of the Punjab. The feat became an early case study in the science of yoga.

Styles of Yoga
    ANUSARA. Lighthearted. Puts emphasis on alignment of limbsand upbeat philosophy. Uses props to ease postures.
    ASHTANGA. Serious. Features linked poses that flow together, as in Sun Salutation. Ties breath to postural flow. Physically demanding.
    BIKRAM. Hot and sweaty. Heats practice room to loosen joints and muscles. Features twenty-six poses and two breathing exercises. Challenging.
    FLOW.