Yoga bad for you?

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Yoga, the Zen-like practice that aims to clear the mind, cleanse the soul, relax, and improve balance, breathing and flexibility, has come under fire following a recent article and just-released book by New York Times science writer William Broad.

In the article,”How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,” Broad focuses on yoga’s “potential to inflict blinding pain.” The controversial piece was just a taste of what the author reveals in his book “The Science of Yoga: The Risks and Rewards.”

Broad is by no means a yoga basher. In fact, he has been practicing the art since 1970. He also spent five years researching it.

Broad acknowledged a lot of good comes out of yoga, but there is also a lot of hype.

What Broad says yoga can and cannot do:

• Yoga is not a total fitness plan. It does help with flexibility and strength building, but it does not work the heart hard enough to qualify as aerobic exercise.
• Broad notes that yoga doesn’t burn a lot of calories, so it’s not a weight-loss plan. It does help to reduce blood pressure, stress, fatigue and anxiety, and it can also lift a person’s mood and improve sleep
• Yoga can ease some pains and it can inflict others.
• Like any form of exercise, yoga has its benefits. And again, like any form of exercise there are always some risks of injury.

So, yoga may not be the magic bullet that it has been hyped to be, but if it makes people feel better, which most followers maintain it does, well, let’s all just say “Namaste.”

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