The New York Times has published a number of informative articles on yoga and meditation this week, in particular Lotus Therapy, from Tuesday’s Science Times, and A Super Highway to Bliss, from the Sunday Style section. I recommend reading both of these! Each addresses the neurological impact of mindfulness meditation in different ways. Then there was this week’s New York Times Thursday Style Fitness article Yoga, Take Me to a Higher Place, which has been the subject of a number of my recent conversations.

It is commendable that the New York Times reserved the entire Style Fitness section to write about yoga. While the article was well-written, it was still a bit disjointed and kind of missing some points about yoga. In brief, the story addresses the “problem” that advanced yoga practitioners in New York and other major cities are unable to find enough challenging classes to suit their needs, despite the fact that there are yoga studios springing up on every corner. It even addresses the task of finding as advanced class as “arduous”.

Asana are important, but there is much more. Sundar performing flying crow beautifully.

Overall, the article seemed to gauge one’s level of yoga by how well one can manipulate the physical body. Sure, we can contort ourselves into crazy positions, but perhaps it’s a bigger challenge to focus on the subtleties of a single posture and exercise patience. Asana, after all, are just one small (but still important and therapeutic) component of “yoga” (ashtanga and hatha yoga). The postures are tools to help the individual become more grounded, compassionate, and centered for meditation. There are a few quotes from members of the yoga community, such as Annie Carpenter of Santa Monica’s Yoga Works and Cynthia Lee of OM Yoga in New York, that remind the reader of this. These statements, however, are hardly extended upon. The author touches upon pranayama and meditation, but quickly shifts back to the subject of how deeper “poses” define advanced yoga.

Categorizing asana classes by level is important and class distinctions should be respected to honor the yogic tradition and prevent injuries. These delineations, however, should not nurture competitiveness. My teachers in New York and India, who I respect so deeply for selflessly and devotedly pursuing the path of yoga over a course many years, would never label themselves as accomplished or “advanced”. It’s just not about that. I believe that the article would have been more powerful, engaging, and well-rounded had the author firmly addressed the fact that asana is far from everything, instead of stressing how advanced students are “suffering” from a lack of higher-level classes.

As a New Yorker, I also found that the article omits a number of wonderful yoga studios in New York that offer “advanced” and serious classes, such as the Iyengar Institute, Dharma Mittra, and a number of other well-known studios (focusing on Mysore Ashtanga, Anusara, and more). Nor does it shed light on any of the wonderful institutions that focus on exercising the mind, such as meditation centers like the Integral Yoga and Tibet House.

Mother Teresa.