New book explores the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of yoga

With an estimated seven million Canadians doing yoga, there’s no question the practice is popular today. 

But why is it so popular? That was the question on the mind of Paul Bramadat, director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria — and an avid yoga practitioner himself. 

Drawing from his own experience, and through conversations with hundreds of yoga teachers and students in the U.S. and Canada, Bramadat sought to find out what it means for people in the modern West. The result is his new book Yogalands: In Search of Practice on the Mat and in the World. 

Read my interview with Paul in my most recent column and also find out more about Yoga—why do more women than men do it? What is the main difference between those in the U.S. and Canada when it comes to doing Yoga? What about the spiritual aspects?