The evolution of yoga, both past and present, are so fascinating to me. Knowing bits of the history of it lends even more richness to my practice. Like how Sun Salutations, Surya Namaskar, were a relatively modern invention brought about by the convergence of the Brits in India in the 1800's -- yogis' influence on the imperialists' military calesthenics. Like how the "wild thing" or "rock star" posture is a bold example of yoga's ongoing evolution -- I love it, it feels great -- and i'm no historian but this one HAD to have been made up in America in the last 10 years. Sanskrit, anyone, for this heart-opening, fun, rather risky pose? A good read for some yoga history is Ganga White's Beyond Belief. And now I want to check out this new book, The Science of Yoga by NYT science writer and 30-some-year yoga practitioner, William J. Broad -- it looks credible and interesting, here's the book review-- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/books/review/the-science-of-yoga-... And as I realize he of course wrote the controversial article about wrecking the body with yoga, I understand his book is way more balanced than the article, and his research certainly sounds solid.