The Science of Yoga – Book Review

On Nightline Thursday night, ABC News’ Dan Harris featured William Broad, author of The Science of Yoga, which released on February 7. Harris, interviewing Broad, advised viewers that “better sex through yoga” is entirely possible. According to Broad, a science writer for The New York Times, there is real evidence that yoga helps sex.

“I can cite you study after study after study,” Broad said to Harris. “We can go through hormones, brain waves, vaginal blood flow…”

Broad spent years combing through scientific studies on yoga as well as other historical resources as part of the research for this book. He said yoga started in medieval India as a sex cult, offering a series of practices that used our sexual energies as the fast track to enlightenment.

Since the “cobra” position has been found to produce blood flow to the pelvis, Harris joked “instead of Viagra, somebody could do cobra.”

Here’s the book summary from Amazon.com:

IN THIS REMARKABLE BOOK ABOUT YOGA, William Broad, a lifelong practitioner, shows us that uncommon states are integral to a hidden world of risk and reward that lies beneath clouds of myth, superstition, and hype.Five years in the making, The Science of Yoga draws on more than a century of painstaking research to present the first impartial evaluation of a practice thousands of years old. It celebrates what’s real and shows what’s illusory, describes what’s uplifting and beneficial and what’s flaky and dangerous—and why. Broad illuminates how yoga can lift moods and inspire creativity. He exposes moves that can cripple and kill. As science often does, this groundbreaking book also reveals mysteries. It presents a fascinating body of evidence that raises questions about whether humans have latent capabilities for entering states of suspended animation and unremitting sexual bliss.The Science of Yoga takes us on a riveting tour of unknown yoga that goes from old archivesin Calcutta to the world capitals of medical research, from storied ashrams to spotless laboratories, from sweaty yoga studios with master teachers to the cozy offices of yoga healers. Broad unveils a burgeoning global industry that attracts not only curious scientists but true believers and charismatic hustlers. In the end, he shatters myths, lays out unexpected benefits, and offers a compelling vision of how the ancient practice can be improved.

About the Author

William J. Broad has practiced yoga since 1970. A bestselling author and senior writer at The New York Times, he has won every major award in print and television during more than thirty years as a science journalist. With New York Times colleagues, he has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as an Emmy and a DuPont. He is the author or coauthor of seven books, including Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War, a #1 New York Times bestseller. He lives in the New York metropolitan area with his wife and three children. He enjoys doing Sun Salutations.

Click here to see the book review by Connie Stewart of the Los Angeles Times.