Start Stretching: Basic Yoga Stances

Yoga is all about concentrating on your mind and body to bind yourself to God. It's all about disciplining yourself to balance your mind, soul, and emotions, so that you can connect with your spirits. It's about focusing your energy into constructive channels. The term yoga refers to any of these:

- karma yoga- focuses on giving oneself without expecting any reward

- -jnana yoga- philosophical approach to unveiling the illusions of the world

- bhakti yoga- channeling emotional energy into ones spiritual practice

- rhaja yoga- focuses on concentration and mind control

As there are many styles of dance, so there are many forms of yoga. Current popular styles include:

-Gentle yoga- also sometimes called by the generic name "hatha yoga." In Gentle yoga, the focus is on long stretches and flexibility with slow, deep breathing. This can be very soothing for the mind. This is the type of style that most people picture when they think of yoga.

-Kundalini yoga- this style works on the premises that the body has eight "chakras," and through the "breath of fire" (rapid breathing), one can heat up the body from top to bottom, eventually achieving a fee of high enlightment.

-Power yoga- This is a very active form of yoga, in which a person moves quickly through the poses (called Asanas), not holding them as long as in other styles. It is virtually guaranteed that you will sweat a lot in this; it is not for the faint of heart and gives real challenge to the muscles. You can perform yoga by yourself at home before shelling out the bucks and travel time for class, just find yourself a quiet room where you can have some solitude. It is recommended to use an uncarpeted floor, as thick towel for slight cushioning. You probably heard that yoga like "turtle touches rock" and "tree growing toward sun."