Pose of the Sage Vasistha (Vasisthasana).
—by Charlotte Bell

Dynamic balance: Half Moon Pose
—by Charlotte Bell

Utkatasana: Chair Pose—another misnomer.
—by Charlotte Bell

Know how to squat.
by Charlotte Bell

In which the soup pot rests, and the flavors meld.
—by Charlotte Bell

Moving inward.
by Charlotte Bell

by Charlotte Bell

Breathe like a starfish.

The Divine Feline stretch.

How (not) to wreck your body doing yoga.

On January 5, the American yoga world was upended. Yoga, the ancient practice that Americans have adopted in increasing numbers over the past 10 years, had its dark side exposed by an extensive article in The New York Times. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Broad, the article first appeared on the web with the inflammatory title, “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.” A few days later the article appeared in the New York Times Magazine under a title that was only slightly less incendiary.

The article made huge waves in the yoga world. Pointing to several cases of serious injuries—from hip replacements to sudden stroke—all of which happened in the 1970s, the author highlighted yoga’s physical dangers. While I question the author’s use of 40-year-old anecdotes to make his case, I feel that the conversation he started is long overdue.