Richard Rosen wrote The Yoga of Breath in 2002, after he had been teaching for 15 years, and just before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He has a lot to say about the nature of the breath, and our conversation was the first of what I hope will be many on this podcast. He doesn't like the word "control" in the translation of pranayama; rather, he likes to call it cooperation. I love this idea! You can read about all this and more in his book (like below). We explored how shortened savasana has become since the “typical” yoga class made its entry onto the modern yoga scene, how the earliest recorded poses didn't include backbends, and how Westerners, who like being challenged, sometimes walk away from a 15-minute breath practice when given the chance. Starting at around 32:00/33:00, you'll hear a lot about yoga for Parkinson's. Please let us know if you work with people with Parkinson's or have the chance to share this with someone who does.

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Terms:

1. asana: poses

2. ujayi: a breathing technique sometimes referred to as "ocean breath" or "victorious breath"

3. viloma: a breathing technique where you pause briefly during the breath

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References:

1. Richard Rosen

2. The Yoga of Breath, Richard Rosen

3. The Master Game, Robert S. de Ropp

4. Yoga Room Berkeley

5. Think on These Things, Jiddu Krishnamurti

6. Donald Moyer

7. The impossible task of explaining yoga, Practicing Well episode with Barbara Benagh and John Schumacher

8. Yoga: The Poetry of the Body, Rodney Yee

9. Georg Feuerstein

10. Shambhala Publications

11. Light on Pranayama, B.K.S. Iyengar

12. Yoga for Parkinson’s with Vickie Bell

13. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor

14. The techniques are not God, Practicing Well episode with Judith and Lizzie Lasater

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Episode credits:

Original music by Kim's band Governess.

Produced by Alyssa Yeroshefsky and Kim Weeks.

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