Laughter yoga and its founder Dr. Madan Kataria get The New Yorker treatment (in-depth, fascinating) in the August 30 issue. You can check out part of the article online or pick up the print edition for the full piece.

I'm very excited about a crop of new yoga videos now live on About.com. Each of these short videos features demonstration and instruction by Joelle Hann, a wonderful New York-based yoga teacher and writer. You can check out her work on her blog, Yoga Nation, and enjoy her great alignment and clear explanations in this video on anjaneyasana (cresecent lunge).

Bird of paradise is one of those poses that seems completely improbable until the day comes, quite unexpectedly, when you find yourself standing there on one leg, all bound and balancing. What I like about this pose is that it can easily be broken down into stages, beginning with bound side angle. As you become comfortable with each step along the way, you are working your way up to the full pose.

A reader wrote me this week complaining about the high cost of yoga classes. Believe me, if this yoga guide gig came with super powers, I'd wave my hand and make all classes affordable, studios profitable, and hamstrings flexible. Unfortunately, it's beyond my control, but I can offer you some ideas on how to do yoga on a budget. Donation-based studios are the big news lately, as more teachers become committed to keeping the cost of yoga reasonable.