Not yet a physical location, Yoga Lab is a concept, a place where we can talk about yoga as the grand experiment that it is. B.K.S. Iyengar, founder of Iyengar yoga, says, “To a yogi, the body is a laboratory for life, a field of experimentation and perpetual research” (from Light on Yoga).  Life is complex and often hard to figure out, so we start on the yoga mat with what is most solid and easily accessible – the body – and simply play.  In playing, you can certainly gain greater flexibility and physical health, but there are benefits for mind, as well.  What makes your body feel better or worse?  What soothes your lower back pain, or that hyper-critical voice inside your head?  How does your mind affect your body, and vice versa?  Do your asanas (poses) benefit from the mind’s careful attention?  Are you attached to “achieving” an asana, or can you let that go and enjoy the pose exactly where you are today?  What can these movements on the mat teach you about your own response to adversity and/or pleasure?

In my mind, the single most wonderful thing about yoga is that it can speak to you wherever you are.  Toned triceps? Absolutely. Shaking off depression? Hell, yes. Finding yourself? Why not?  It doesn’t matter why you come to yoga, what matters is that you keep coming back.

Let your body be the laboratory for this experiment we call life.  As any researcher can tell you, only two rules apply: be curious and pay attention.