The Power of Fact Checking: Timothy McCall on Elephant Journal

by Nina

Buddha Waiting for Spring by Michele Macartney-Filgate
Just a quick announcement today to let you know that Timothy has a very interesting post up now on Elephant Journal Does Yoga Kill?

Recently Timothy wrote about yoga and strokes on our blog (see Will Yoga Cause a Stroke? Could It Prevent One?), covering the topic in general and how to practice yoga safely. In his Elephant Journal post, however, Timothy directly takes on New York Times science writer William Broad’s claims about the relationship between yoga and strokes, responding point by point to Broad’s claims and looking more deeply into the research that Broad used to back them up. All I can say is, wow, that fact checking thing is really amazing—wonder why Broad's editors didn’t avail themselves.

My favorite fact is this one:

“To bolster his case, he listed several people whose deaths might have been caused by yoga including this one: “In Los Angeles in 2004, Sita White, 43, a British heiress and a favorite of gossip columnists, collapsed and died in a yoga class. The question is why.”

What Broad neglected to mention is that she wasn’t doing yoga at the time. According to eyewitnesses and media reports, White collapsed and died while students were filing in and putting down their mats.”


I also love Timothy’s conclusion:

“The truth, on the other hand, is often complicated, nuanced, and doesn’t always make a great story. And it is precisely that satya—subtle, interpenetrating, endlessly unfolding—that yogis are after.”


But you should go ahead and check out this article! And let us know what you think.

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