The Science of Yoga

How does science quantify yoga’s impact on human physiology? Eddie Stern, yoga practitioner and teacher, shares how Western science is beginning to explain how the practices of yoga can override habitual responses to the world to move us into deeper states of expanded awareness.

Eddie Stern is a yoga teacher, author, and lecturer from New York City. He is known for his multidisciplinary approach to furthering education and access to yoga, as well as his teaching expertise in Ashtanga Yoga. He has been practicing and studying yoga, Sanskrit, and related disciplines since 1987. He is the author of One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life. He co-designed the Yoga and Physiology course at New York University (NYU).

His website is EddieStern.com

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: It was very interesting to look at the actual science of yoga with Eddie Stern. I was attracted to how the five kleshas (causes of suffering) are governed by different areas of the brain and how we can diminish or weaken their effect by tapping into the neuroplasticity of the brain. The description of meditation opening space in the mind was particularly powerful for me. The idea that meditation opens and expands the gap between thoughts which allows the non-rising of samskaras is fascinating and hopeful.