The Science of Yoga

little or no attention from the public, and most certainly not from yogis. The one exception was the Wisconsin study, which made a few waves. Overall, the rest of the studies sank without a ripple.
    The lack of public reaction was especially notable in the yogic community. In theory, it was the main beneficiary of the findings. Even so, no yoga book to my knowledge reviewed the developments or commented on the implications. No guru expounded on the details. Bikram Choudhury offered no barbed rejoinders. Yoga Journal fired off no more rebuttals. The disregard persisted even though the lead researchers in the Wisconsin and New York studies were themselves yogis who could be seen as sympathetic to the discipline.
    In the early days of modern yoga—in the era of Gune and Iyengar—science had been a role model. Influential gurus paid attention. No more. The affair was over.
    Some individuals and authors who did yoga—or who knew the diversity of modern athletics—seemed to understand the substance of the new findings. But they tended to be exceptions. In popular culture, yoga went on its merry way, oblivious to the conclusion of science, believing deeply in its aerobic powers, often selling itself as superior to sports and exercise as theone and only way to attain that most fashionable of goals—ultimate fitness.
    Yoga Journal continued its claims, hailing vigorous Hatha in 2008 as “a good cardio workout.”
    The vibrant cover of Yoga for Dummies publicized its two authors as holding doctoral degrees—the ultimate academic credential. Their experience seemed to magnify their authority. The cover identified one man as the “author of more than 40 books,” and the other as an “internationally renowned Yoga teacher.” In the book’s second edition, published in early 2010, the two authorities hailed the Sun Salutation for its “aerobic benefits.” More generally, they assured readers, the newer, more vigorous formulations of the ancient discipline let practitioners “work up a sweat” to achieve “aerobic-type” workouts.
    Even The New York Times lost its bearings. One of its companies, About.com, addressed a frequent question of readers, “Does Yoga Keep You Fit?” Yes, came the unequivocal answer. Ann Pizer, the website’s “Yoga Guide,” said recent science had revealed that students doing yoga more than twice a week “need not supplement their fitness regimes with other types of exercise in order to stay very physically fit.” She cited the original Yoga Journal article, the one that had turned the Davis study into a publicist’s dream come true.
    An indication of the fog’s deep penetration was how it crept into the pages of Hotel Management and Operations —an industry guide in its fifth edition. In 2010, it advised readers that vigorous styles such as Ashtanga were ideal for getting a “cardio workout.” The language wasn’t as strong as Beth Shaw’s “tough cardiovascular workout.” But it nonetheless put the practice right up there with the sweaty rigors of fast treadmills.
    The Davis and Yoga Journal articles kept getting cited, their claims immortalized on the Internet. The Huffington Post ran a link to Yoga Journal ’s glowing tribute.
    The aerobic mythology sped across cyberspace until it found its way to HealthCentral.com, a flourishing commercial site that sells drugs and gives away medical advice. The site claims more than seventeen million readers a month and, on its home page, proudly declares that it features material from Harvard Health Publications, the arm of the Harvard Medical School that seeksto publicize the most authoritative health information. The site’s reference to Harvard included a picture of the school’s crest—a shield bearing three open books, their pages spelling out veritas —”truth” in Latin.
    “Does Yoga Provide Enough of a Cardio Workout?” HealthCentral .com asked its readers in 2010.
    The answer came from never-never land, despite the implication that the Harvard Medical School had somehow been involved in producing or vetting the information. It came from a place where the ancient practice had somehow morphed into a modern fitness machine.
    “Rest assured,” the site told its readers. “Yoga is all you need.”
    In recent years, many people have learned to ignore the exaggerated claims and the unabashed gurus (with or without fleets of Rolls-Royces). They lift weights to build muscles and run to challenge their hearts, even while