Living at the intersection of spirituality and science

You don't need to live an evidence-based life. You do need to understand your Self.

Photo by Avi Waxman on Unsplash

Almost every yoga teacher has probably had this thought at some point: “Why isn’t everyone doing yoga?” It’s no secret that yoga works. It makes people feel better, not just in their bodies but also in their minds. It is a complete practice that touches every aspect of the Self.

There are several reasons why only 15% of the American adult population practices yoga despite its many benefits.¹ According to the CDC, only 46.9% of Americans 18 and older meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for aerobic exercise and only 24.2% meet the guidelines for both aerobic and strength training exercise.² One major reason why yoga is not as popular as running, swimming, or cycling is because it comes from India and is associated with a non-Christian religion, which is somehow hostile to many Americans who believe only things “made in America” are great. (Unfortunately for the MAGA folks, not a single aerobic activity is uniquely American.) It was truly shocking to hear so many people tell me they couldn’t practice yoga because it was “against their religion” when I lived in northern Texas 10 years ago. To overcome this obstacle, yoga teachers have been trying to disentangle yoga from religion since the days of Swami Vivekenanda, who introduced yoga to America at the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893. But if yoga is not a religion, then what is it?

In swooped the creative minds of American capitalism to “re-brand” yoga as a form of exercise. This re-centering of yoga in the Western psyche capitalized on the American obsession with physical fitness. It is no coincidence that Los Angeles and New York City have always been the yoga hubs in America, the cities home to the notoriously aesthetic-obsessed entertainment industry. To really get the buy-in of the American public on the benefits of yoga as exercise, the gold standard of Western scientific research must prove that these exercises actually do what all those ancient swamis and seers professed. And so the yoga industry finds itself increasingly competing for research funds to prove that yoga does indeed improve low back pain, decrease depression, and relieve menopause symptoms, migraine headaches and pain associated with knee osteoarthritis.³ However, Indian yoga masters didn’t need Western scientists to tell them their thousand-year old practices have benefits. It’s the American yoga teachers and studio owners that need that seal of approval so they can make more money.

Science requires proof. Spirituality requires faith. A life well-lived requires both.   

Yoga does not belong in the medical silo

An expert in women’s health, Dr. Jen Gunter, has written some fabulous books educating women on vaginal health, menstruation, and menopause. But she also rails against ancient health models such as Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science, and other alternative and complementary systems of healing. Her main arguments are that these practices aren’t evidence-based, the practitioners are more interested in selling you supplements than helping you heal, and that just because something is ancient doesn’t make it true.⁴ While I whole-heartedly agree that practitioners profiting off of supplement sales is fishy, and that homeopaths don’t have to go to school for nearly as long as doctors, I really feel uncomfortable about the “just because it’s ancient doesn’t make it true” claim. Yoga is ancient. It works because it’s a spiritual practice not because it’s an evidence-based, Western system of exercise designed to heal low back pain. Suggesting that science is the only truth is the same thing as saying there is only one God and he’s Catholic.

Yoga practices are supported by some scientific research, but science will never be able to prove that connecting to universal consciousness will heal your soul. That’s not the role of science. Yoga works in the eyes of science because it gets you moving and movement happens to be good for your body. It works because it helps you breathe well and breathing well is good for your nervous system. It works because it helps clear and calm your mind, and having positive thoughts is indicative of positive mental health. It works because it can put you in connection with a larger community and being in community is also important to overall health. All of that is great. But ultimately, your connection to Self is what yoga is all about and that’s not the scope of practice of science and medicine.

Scientific Truth and Spiritual Truth sometimes diverge. One is not better than the other.

Admittedly, there is plenty of woo in yoga, but that woo stems from spiritual mythology. There is just as much woo in Christianity and all the other world religions. Jesus raised from the dead? Please. There’s a much more practical explanation but that doesn’t move along the narrative. Even if it’s not true in the factual sense, the narrative is compelling enough to instill faith and help millions of people buy into a belief system. Sometimes that belief system causes harm, but more often than not it helps people find peace in their lives and make sense of the world. Similarly, yoga helps many people feel better. Do you need an evidence-based study to prove that you feel better? Is objective, peer-reviewed proof more important than your own experience and beliefs? Obviously, if you’re experiencing a real medical emergency, your beliefs aren’t necessarily going to help you. But in the case of engaging in a practice to feel better, it’s not as important that you have scientific evidence backing it up. You either feel better or you don’t.

Yoga and Ayurveda have fallen prey to the exploitation of capitalist systems and because interested parties are trying to prove yoga postures are useful for medical purposes, suspect claims have been made that are unproven. But this doesn’t make yoga harmful or a practice that needs to be avoided because it is not “evidence-based.”

Faith plays just as important a role in life as fact. If for science, truth must be backed by evidence then yoga will never be an evidence-based practice because research can’t prove that God exists or that contemplating the energetic vortices of the chakras brings about a calm mind. If truth is defined as a practice or principle that sticks around for thousands of years and still remains helpful, then yoga has a lot to offer.

Scientific truth evolves. Spiritual Truth stands the test of time.

The world is constantly changing, and with it truth evolves. Take for example the state of Colorado. At one time it was an ocean. This was true. Now, it is a landlocked state and this is also true. Many people used to think the Earth was flat (some still do). Scientific discoveries proved the earth was round and in the future further discoveries may be made that will prove something else. Truth is fluid and contextual. You are always changing too. The yoga practices you were drawn to in your twenties might not serve you any longer in your thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond. That doesn’t mean that yoga is no longer true. It just means that your truth needs to adjust with the changes in your life just like science needs to change and adapt to the new realities/discoveries constantly arising.

The beauty of spiritual truth is that its essence remains the same despite changing world circumstances.

Take Yoga Sutra 1.1:

Now, yoga begins.

This simple statement invites you into the presence of the moment. In any moment, with every breath, you can choose to begin the practice of yoga. It was true thousands of years ago and it is still true today. It is true in every moment. That is universal truth. It’s not worth trying to carbon-date “now” to figure out when yoga really began. It doesn’t matter. The wisdom—the Truth—is in the words and the words themselves only have meaning when applied to a specific situation. If the words can hold meaning in any situation in any age, that is True.

Yoga is a spiritual practice first and foremost

Yoga practice isn’t inherently harmful and it can greatly improve your overall wellbeing and quality of life, but stripping it of its spiritual roots and trying to re-invent it as a form of evidence-based exercise is harmful.

Any scientist who cares about integrity will readily admit there is so much scientists still don’t understand about the body and how it works. Does that mean that if you don’t know how something works, it can’t be true? No, of course not. We might not know exactly how or why yoga works, but does it matter? If it helps, why do you need to know that it’s backed by research? This is a textbook example of colonialism. The West is trying to legitimize thousand-year old Eastern practices. Most health claims made by Indian yoga masters hundred or thousands of years ago were made in the context of a different culture and a different understanding of yoga. Any “health” benefits achieved based on the practice of yoga were based on spiritual practice, not the ideal number of minutes spent in physical activity to ensure a healthy heart. The physical postures practiced in yoga studios today didn’t even become part of “yoga” until the early 1900s⁵!

There is a place in this world for science and there is a place in this world for spirituality. Honestly, I think we need both in our lives to live well. Faith, hope, and love are the ultimate  motivators of survival and reproduction. But we also need science to help us thrive and live well. What science can say with assurance is that moving regularly, eating well, and reducing stress are the three keys to healthy living. Yoga happens to offer practices for two of those factors (arguably three, if you include Ayurvedic principles). Yoga was never meant to heal you from cancer. It’s always been a practice that can connect you with a higher power. It’s a mental, emotional, and spiritual practice first and foremost that happens to include movement, which is also good for you too.

Wisdom > Truth

I believe in and respect scientific research. There is a scary subculture of disinformation in the wellness industry that tries to debunk scientific facts in the name of ancient wisdom. Often, these wellness influencers are hawking products and it’s in the best interest of their bank accounts to trick you into believing that the science is wrong. I also love ancient wisdom but wisdom is what stands the test of time. If scientific research has found that turmeric may not have as many health benefits as advertised because of its poor bioavailability even though there is evidence it has been used medicinally for thousands of years, that’s one thing⁶. But scientific research can’t debunk universal truths, such as this one from the Bhagavad Gita:⁷

“Anger confuses the thinking process, which, in turn, disturbs memory. When memory fails, reasoning is ruined. And when reason is gone, one is lost.”

Does this not describe the entire political climate of the moment? Sure a psychologist could come in and argue that anger arises from a particular chemical reaction in the brain but does it matter? Someone halfway around the world in a different culture, language, and religion said something wise thousands of years ago and it still rings true today. That is wisdom and it’s worth holding on to, even if it doesn’t help my heart beat better for longer. If it helps me release my anger, that’s good, right? What’s the harm?

To be healthy you need to eat well, exercise, and reduce stress. To be well, you need to do all those things but also you need to feel good. If you’re moving that’s better than not moving. If you’re breathing and releasing stress and you’re feeling better mentally and emotionally, then what you’re doing is helpful. Keep doing it. Who cares if it’s not “evidence-based?” Don’t give your power away to scientific research or to ancient wisdom. Figure out what feels good for your body, mind, and spirit and be confident that that’s good enough. A life lived based only on evidence is not very fun—it’s a life full of fear and worry.

I trust and believe in science and want to teach in integrity with both the modern world and the ancient wisdom. I want to respect and acknowledge that yoga practice comes from India and that there is nothing inferior about it in any way. Instead of demonizing science or ancient wisdom, consider allowing space for all of it. Be gentle and forgiving with yourself and with others. Embrace the “both AND” approach, acceptance, critical thinking, humility, and most of all learn to trust your own inner knowing. Live at the intersection of spirituality and science. Trust yourself. You know far more than you think you do and you don’t need a scientist, researcher, doctor or yoga teacher to confirm what you feel.

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Let’s chat in the comments:

1. Have you ever doubted your own experience?

2. How does ancient wisdom benefit your life today?

3. Have you ever experienced a time when scientific research wasn’t true for your own personal experience?

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February Full Moon Yoga Class

Photo by Gary Fultz on Unsplash

Honor the end of another cycle and the beginning of a new one with an online Full Moon Yoga Class on Sunday, February 25 at 7:30pm. This month’s class will celebrate the Snow/Eagle Moon. Paid subscribers can find the discount code to register for the class for free here. Free subscribers are welcome and encouraged to drop-in!

1. This percentage came from taking the recent data published by Yoga Alliance about yoga practitioners in the US and dividing it by the US population over age 18. https://www.yogaalliance.org/Portals/0/yoga-in-the-world/Yoga%20in%20the%20World%20Overview%20United%20States.pdf

2. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/exercise.htm

3. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-what-you-need-to-know

4. My Open-Minded Approach to Alternative Medicine

5. https://www.yogajournal.com/yoga-101/philosophy/yoga-s-greater-truth/

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/

7. Chapter two, verse 63 from The Living Gita by Sri. Swami Satchidananda