Visit our links page for several web-sites offering information about the most common styles of yoga. No matter what your level of fitness is now, take a few beginner's classes to learn the poses and avoid the risk of injury. And while there are many great yoga books and videos available, remember there is no substitute from learning directly from a good teacher in a yoga class or private lesson.

You will need a mat, a towel and water. Make an effort to leave any concerns about how you will look or perform at home. Yoga is about letting go of judgement, both of self and others, so come in with an open mind and heart.

Maintaining steady, rhythmic breathing is the single most important element of yoga practice. Your breath is what links your mind to your body, and you to the present moment. Your breath is pure, raw energy that sweeps through you like a cleansing wind. With every inhalation you literally bring new life into your body, with every exhalation you clean house. We use ujjayi breath in this practice.

The ujjayi breath is an audible breath that has a soothing, rhythmic, oceanic quality. It is done by contracting the whispering muscles in your throat to create a long, hair-line thin breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.. You do not breathe all the way down into your abdomen, but rather into your chest, lungs, and back. The motion of the exhalation is similar to that used when fogging a mirror - the exhale is exaggerated and extended.

The word OM (pronounced “aum”) is a mantra, a sound formula that has a specific effect on the mind when it is repeated or heard. Yoga uses the sound OM to center and focus the mind. The essence of Om is the eternal vibration of awareness.

OM comes from three different sounds: Sound of contentment relaxing the belly: “Ahhh,” vocalizing opening of throat “Ooo,” relaxing of the chest: “Mmmm.” Putting these three sounds together creates the sound of “Ahhhooommm.”

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."