William J. Broad, NYT: The wholesome image of yoga took a hit in the past few weeks as a rising star of the discipline came tumbling back to earth. After accusations of sexual impropriety with female students, John Friend, the founder of Anusara, one of the world’s fastest-growing styles, told followers that he was stepping down for an indefinite period of “self-reflection, therapy and personal retreat.”

Mr. Friend preached a gospel of gentle poses mixed with openness aimed at fostering love and happiness. But Elena Brower, a former confidante, has said that insiders knew of his “penchant for women” and his love of …

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Renowned meditation teachers Larry Yang and Maddy Klyne are launching a major new East Coast LGBTQ meditation retreat in April 2012 at the Garrison Institute in NY.

The retreat is cosponsored by Insight Meditation Society, New York Insight, InsightLA and OutBreath. The event has been years in the making, and has overcome massive obstacles to come into being.

According to the publicity for the retreat,

The practices of Mindfulness and Lovingkindness from the Buddhist tradition deepens our insight into truth about who we are and how we live, while cultivating an open heart and an inner home. In addition, taking Refuge is a beautiful aspect of the Buddhist meditation practice. We take Refuge …