Sublime Shapes

How many times have you found yourself clicking through a slide show about someone who has lost lots of weight? In the last one I saw, a woman who lost 160 pounds took a picture every 20 pounds or so. The images were riveting, even though it often looked as if she were standing in […]

Baptiste Interview

Baron Baptiste, whose parents opened San Francisco’s first yoga studio in 1955, is one of the best-known yoga teachers in the United States. From the tender age of 12, Baptiste has studied classical yoga traditions, as well as the more physical Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Bikram styles. He now teaches his own brand of Power Yoga […]

Yoga Styles

CHAIR YOGA Chair yoga is a way to make yoga more accessible to people who have trouble standing for long periods or sitting on the floor. Many postures can be adapted to incorporate the support of a chair, as you can see in this series of ten chair yoga poses. Chair yoga is particularly popular […]

No One Told Me Learning Yoga Would Involve Snakes

Not long ago, I found myself in the back seat of a small car deep in the jungle of India, an arm’s length from a 40-pound python, which sat tightly coiled within a burlap sack. I hate snakes. I won’t step foot in the reptile house at the zoo, and I’d rather be recircumcised than […]

From the Mosh Pit to a Life in Balance

Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times Ray Cappo performing with Youth of Today. THE packed crowd celebrating the 25th anniversary of Revelation Records at Irving Plaza in Manhattan on an October night was predominately pierced, tattooed and male. The uniform was black T-shirts for hard-core rock bands like Behemoth (“100% Satanic”), Chain of Strength […]

No Dinner and Drinks Necessary

ONE of my fantasy dates with my husband, Mahir, involves starting our weekend mornings by working up a sweat on side-by-side cardio machines in the gym or with a personal training session along the East River near our home. This productive and healthy start to the day would be followed by a leisurely lunch at […]

The Family That Cobras Together

Jeff Minton for The New York Times The Killicks posing near the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta. From left, Sami, 15; Tobi, 13; Gil, 17; Von, 21; Glenna (mother); Tyler (father). Dropping in on the Killick family, 45 minutes outside Edmonton, Alberta, feels like dropping into a Wes Anderson movie about Canadian rustics. Glenna and […]

Women Know: The Downward Dog Is Good for You

Shadow Distribution Shiva Rea strikes a pose in the documentary “Yogawoman.” To those of us unschooled in its ancient lineage and myriad applications, yoga has always seemed like something we should really get around to doing. “Yogawoman,” directed by the sisters Kate Clere McIntyre and Saraswati Clere, presents a range of testimonials about this healthful […]