That's Fit

So, most of the time, yoga is a fairly serious practice. There's a lot of concentration and meditation involved -- you breath, you focus, you get more in tune with your body -- and it's wonderful.

However, laughter is good for your body, too, and in honor of Mike Meyer's new flick, The Love Guru, I present to you Mr. Meyers' newest character The Guru Pitka. He has a series of yoga poses that are not for the faint of heart and definitely not for those without a wicked sense of humor.

It's kind of what you'd expect if you were to do a private yoga class with the man behind Austin Powers and Shrek -- asanas like Gassy Cobra and Yank My Doodle, It's a Dandy, and the faces to go with them. Are you going to get a great yoga workout from it? No way. But, you're pretty much guaranteed to laugh, and that's worth something, too.

If you had what you considered to be a pretty perfect body, would you -- or do you -- flaunt it, show it off, maybe even allow it to be photographed for all to see? David Beckham would. And he did, when he posed in his underwear for Emporio Armani billboards in December.

People everywhere cheered upon seeing Beckham's bod. But not mom.

"When the photos came out, she was the first one to call me and say, 'What are you doing?'" say's the 32-year-old. "I had to try and explain it to her and it didn't go down that well."

So would you do it? Would your mom approve?

I'm sure you've heard plenty of times that push-ups are one of the best exercises you can do (if you didn't already know that, you can read about it here, here, and here). But, according to The Earth Times, push-ups are also "The New Fitness Nirvana."

According to Ted Skup, the new Dalai Lama of fitness (the article's words, not mine), push-ups are fast becoming the workout of choice for those looking to harmonize mind, body, and spirit. He calls his push-up routine "Horizontal Jogging" and wrote his book, Death, Taxes, and Push-ups after officially completing ten million push-ups himself. As a new Dalai and spiritual leader, he has decided to take on the fitness industry by showing people that they can achieve enlightenment (and a hot body) without paying a yogi $2500.

Personally, I think push-ups are a great exercise, but I think yoga has it's place too -- I'm having a hard time understanding how the two forms of exercise compete. I suppose I'll have to watch for the book and find out for myself.

Every time I go to yoga class, I am sort of amazed at all the different yoga poses and how they suit different yogis. Everyone is flexible in different ways, and each participant of my class seems to have different yoga strengths.

My yoga strength also happens to be my favourite pose: Tree posture. It makes me feel grounded, and it also makes me feel accomplished--for years, I couldn't master it until one day, I realized that it had nothing to do with my yoga pants being slippery and everything to do with the strength in my legs. And though I'm typically very clumsy, I can hold that balance with the grace of ballerina.

So I'm curious about your favourite pose -- What is it, and why?

Maybe so! I just got done chatting with the host of TLC's Trading Spaces, which by the way...is a lovely thing to do. Paige is saucy, fun and really very sweet. The type of girl you want to live right next to. I was interviewing Paige for a future Celebrity Fitzness Report and she was totally open and honest.

We talked health, fitness and show business. We also talked a bit about nudity. One of my reader's suggestions was to ask Paige if she'd ever pose in the buff. She didn't say no. In fact, under the 'right circumstances' she would do it. She didn't say she would do it to show off her fantastic figure (which she has) though......

When I first took up yoga, it cost me $120 for a once-a-week class that lasted for four months. That works out to $7.50 a class, which isn't bad but I've definitely found better deals out there. One studio I went to, for instance, offered a $120 12-week pass which allowed me unlimited access to all classes, and considering I went at least 4 times a week, I got my money's worth.

Yoga can be expensive -- but it doesn't have to be. About Yoga recently shared some tips on how to become a yogi without breaking the bank:

• Buy classes in bulk, or look for a studio that offers unlimited classes. Also shop around for the best deal.
  
• Buy your own mat. Unless your studio lends them out for free, renting can be expensive! Same goes for water bottles -- get a re-usable one and fill up at home.
  
• Practice Karma yoga. You might be able to trade charitable work for yoga classes. Another idea: In my area, several studios offer Karma yoga classes on Sunday in which you can practice for free with a food donation.
• Practice at home. Pick up a discounted yoga DVD and do your downward dogs in the privacy of your living room.
  

Is there anything yoga can't do? It tones, it strengthens, it stretches -- according to this past post by Rigel it may also help you find love (well for those who manage to avoid 'inappropriate yoga guy'). I was musing earlier today during my walk to work about all of the benefits I noticed when I was practicing yoga on a regular basis (I admit that for various reasons most of us who fall off the bandwagon would understand, it has been a while since I've been to a class). I remember feeling more limber, more energetic yet relaxed, and just generally had an enhanced feeling of well-being.

I began to wonder if yoga can also make you look good. I mean beyond the obvious tightening benefits, are there any yoga moves that will improve the shape of your body or perhaps improve the overall look of your face. Every time I used to leave yoga class I noticed that all of the participants, myself included, had a lovely glow about them. Was that just due to the excessive heat, sweating and exertion or could there be more to it?

When I used to work in an office, I took lunch hour yoga classes. I enjoyed the diversion from my day, but I found that whenever it was time to Savasana, the weight of the day and my early rising would get to me and I'd fall fast asleep. Do you ever have this problem? I started to look forward to my brief daily nap, but one instructor told us that the point of Savasana was not to sleep, so ever since I've been working hard to stay awake.

Should you snooze in yoga class? According to Fitsugar, you should do what comes naturally to you, and if that involves sleep, so be it. But some instructors don't like sleeping students so it might be a good idea to ask before heading into dreamland.

What do you think?

Most yogis have a pretty good knowledge of the Sankrit words for their favourite poses. That's because most yoga teachers (a least I've found) use both the original and western names of the poses. It's a good lesson for people like myself who don't know Sanskrit or much about the history of yoga -- now that I've been going regularly, I know that Adho Mukha Svanasana means downward dog, Tadasana means mountain post and Utthita Trikonasana means extended triangle pose.

Fitsugar has together a short tutorial on Sanskrit in yoga ... you probably won't need to worry about memorizing the names of poses unless you're becoming a teacher, but it can't hurt, right?

What's your favourite Asana?

Yoga is intended to help with both physical and mental health so I don't think too many people are surprised to hear that yoga can help improve your mood. Whether you're feeling a little depressed, bored, stressed out, or even insecure before a big date or important event there are poses that will help you combat those emotions and help you get into a more positive frame of mind. And there's real physical evidence to back up the effects -- by holding your body in certain positions you can stimulate glands that release mood altering chemicals. Move #3 here I come!

As little as a decade ago yoga was a fitness activity that I only knew about through healthy-living, new-age diehards and celebrities like Madonna and Ali McGraw. Since then it has grown into a fitness phenonmen so big that it is a rarity to find someone who hasn't tried it or doesn't know someone who has. In fact, within the past year I have had four friends realize they love the practice so much they've begun the intensive training that will eventually allow them to teach their favorite style.

Until a few months ago I avoided jumping on the yoga bandwagon. Was I curious about it? Yes. Was I also a bit afraid and overwhelmed by it? Absolutely! How would I know what type to try? What if I couldn't stretch my limbs far enough or balance properly? What if I fell over during a tough pose in class and made a fool of myself? These are all valid questions for a newcomer.

Luckily one of my friends currently doing her training offered to give me some classes on the basics so that I could learn the poses and she could work on her training skills. I learned from her that yoga is all about challenging yourself, doing your personal best and working up to harder poses in your own time. It is not about competition or judging anyone else in class. For those who don't have someone to introduce them to the practice but are interested in giving it a try and are unsure of where to start, here is a great guide to the different styles and who they're geared toward. Figure out what you'd like to try, check out a beginner's class and, above all, give yourself time to learn and move forward.