More Yoga Terms Defined from That's Fit:
Ashtana Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Kundalini Yoga
Power Yoga
Prenatal Yoga

Kundalini Yoga is a spiritual and physical practice closely associated with Hatha yoga that is designed to facilitate spiritual enlightenment. More than just a means to fitness, Kundalini yoga is based on the fundamental principle of awakening the seven chakras through breathing, chanting and meditation. The Kundalini is an untapped source of energy thought to sit at the base of your spine like a coiled snake, and it's through the yoga practice that this energy is drawn up. Full enlightenment is thought to be achieved when the energy reaches the Crown Chakra. Kundalini yoga is relatively new to Western society -- it was introduced to North America in 1969 by the 3HO (Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization.)

A Kundalini yoga session involves a series (called kriya) of postures (called asanas,) each done with an emphasis on the breathing process. Sessions also involve chanted mantras and meditation. Though it's a highly spiritual form of yoga, don't expect your Kundalini yoga session to be easy -- the practice is very physically intense.

Want to learn more? Discover other types of yoga.

Each week, Debbie will share her goals, challenges, successes and tips on how to fit in fitness when caring for a rambunctious toddler.

I have loved every second of my outdoor workouts this season. I wouldn't trade my spring and summer hikes for the world.

As autumn approaches and I sense the chill in the air, I also fear impending doom.

I know that I can continue exercising outside for months to come, and there was a time I even hiked through the single digits and the feet of snow. But I find myself thinking ahead, knowing that I will likely not get outside as often as I do now.

The thought of inside exercise raises my heart rate, and not in a good way. I loath my treadmill, I flee from my elliptical and the gym gives me the heebie-jeebies. Sure, I love my strength training that I do all year round, but fifteen minutes a day is not enough.

So, in planning ahead for my inevitable indoor exercise incarceration of sorts, it occurred to me that I will finally be able to get in the yoga that I have been meaning to do more often. I'll get out those DVDs and maybe even look for a Kundalini class in my area.

What type of exercise do you look forward to in the colder weather?

Yoga is the perfect mind-body-spirit exercise, in my opinion. The only thing better than yoga is Kundalini Yoga, which I would urge you to try. Not only are some of the better known poses used as part of Kundalini, but it also includes lots of quick moving, repetitive, challenging exercises that sometimes remind me of calisthenics, but surely get to the root of what ails me and redistributes the energy trapped in my body.

The best part about it is that each class has a different theme, from strengthening the immune system, to detoxification, to opening the heart. Each student can work at his or her own pace and assume the pose in the most comfortable way; there is not a focus on pose perfection, which is so freeing to me.

We can classify that as a digression, or you can pause, in awe of the amazing new yoga style that has come into your knowledge sphere. Even if I don't have time to do as much yoga as I would like, these are some poses that I have grown to love and can easily do daily for my yoga fix.