Yoga Body

This book by Mark Singleton was genuinely recommended once in the episodes we index, on Andrew Huberman. The people who vouched for it on air: guest. It comes up in conversations about brain health, focus & dopamine. Every quote below is verbatim, attributed, and linked to the exact second it was said. Sourced expert opinion, not medical advice.

This volume examines the roots and early development of modern hatha (postural) yoga. The author concentrates on the transition from the classical conception of yoga as a philosophical system to the version we recognize today. He argues that the popularly practiced yoga of today owes a greater debt to modern Indian nationalism and, even more surprisingly, to the spiritual aspirations of European bodybuilding and early 20th-century women's gymnastics movements of Europe and America, than it does to any ancient Indian yoga tradition.

• “For example, yoga, there is a good book called the "Yoga Body", which will destroy a lot of people's yoga practice.”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “there is a good book called”
  guest · Huberman Lab · Jun 202202:23:06

  Said during "The Science & Practice of Movement | Ido Portal". The episode features Ido Portal: Israeli movement teacher widely regarded as a leading authority on movement practice, drawing from capoeira, dance, gymnastics and martial arts. He has trained elite athletes including UFC champion Conor McGregor. Movement guru Ido Portal reframes movement as the integrating force of body, mind, and emotion, urging endless playful exploration over rigid technique.