Flow yoga is a type of yoga that connects your movements to your breathing. In flow yoga, the yoga postures or "asanas" flow smoothly from one yoga position to the next on either an inhalation or an exhalation.

Flow Yoga is also called Vinyasa Yoga, which means "breath-synchronized movement." The thought is that the controlled breathing that accompanies the yoga positions in Flow Yoga cleanses the body and creates energy. This philosophy is the basis for other popular yoga styles like Ashtanga Yoga and Power Yoga.

But unlike the predetermined sequences of Ashtanga Yoga, there is no single set of rules or philosophy governing Flow Yoga.
Instructors have the freedom to create unique experiences by linking yoga positions according to their personalities and the needs or mood of the class. This makes Flow Yoga a great option for both beginners and experienced yogis alike.

This story is proof positive you can pivot toward a healthy lifestyle at mid-life, no matter how many overflowing ashtrays you've left in your wake.

Kantilal Talati, a native of western India currently living in Texas, celebrates his 90th birthday next month. He's never sick, doesn't take any medication and attributes it all to yoga. He's successfully doubled his life since a heart attack at the prime age of 44, when he smoked four packs a day. After that scare, Talati tossed the smokes and dove into relaxation, meditation and yoga, even studying with a famous guru in India.

Here's a typical day from Talati's 30-year regimen:

• Before dawn he drinks a cup of hot water with lemon juice and honey to cleanse the body.
• He then devotes every inch of his 5-foot, 125-pound frame for pranayam (breathing exercises), then an hour of yoga. After breakfast he teaches yoga to family.
• A solo afternoon yoga session wraps in more challenging poses for whole-body health.
• He then walks two miles before retiring for the night, where he dreams of opening a yoga studio in 2009.
  

Your body is magical, if you treat it right.

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Our friends over at Fitsugar alerted me to an important tidbit: September is yoga month across the nation. Thinking back, I realized that September was the month I myself became a yogi five years ago -- maybe it's the month you can become one too?

Here are a number of ways you can honour yoga month in your own way:

• Check out Fitsugar's list of the Top 10 Yoga DVDs and pick one up for you or a friend
• Find a yoga class near you and sign up.
• Already a regular yoga participant? Take a non-yoga friend with you.
• Make time each day for a few moments of meditation or prayer
• Build up good Karma by doing good deeds -- no matter how small or big -- for those around you

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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.

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If you're thinking about attending your first yoga class, first of all, congratulations! All kinds of people enjoy the benefits of yoga, and you're about to join them!

You should know that, as long as you're wearing something that's comfortable, doesn't restrict movement, and won't make you too hot, any clothes you choose should be fine. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when packing your gym bag for yoga class:

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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.
  

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Yogis seem to a separate group of people -- calm, sensitive, new-agey vegetarian types who wear hemp and shop at health food stores and rescue bugs rather than killing them. But yoga takes all types, and it can benefit you.

Yes, even you, Mr. Sports buff. According to this article from Glee Magazine, Yoga is the type of activity that many people are getting involved in, even pro athletes. And why not? With 18 different styles of yoga, there's sure to be a type that suits anyone. And it has a number of great benefits -- like improving your balance, your flexibility, your strength and your mood.

So what's stopping you from becoming a yogi?

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A few days ago, a friend of mine asked me if yoga was fun, and it got me thinking. I've been doing yoga regularly for about three years now. But don't know if I would call it fun ...

Flash back to my first yoga experience. I signed up for a 4-month, once-a-week yoga class at my gym. Most of my classmates were either middle-aged or a senior while I was a spry 20-something. For this reason, my first class was pretty mortifying -- I was the youngest in the class and yet I was the one who couldn't hold the poses. Downward dog was tedious, painful even. I couldn't touch my toes. I felt like I had the body of an 80 year old.

And for the next few months, the classes only got marginally better.

More and more men are taking up yoga, and as much as we'd all like to think that they all have the best of intentions and truly want to learn the techniques in some cases it's all too painfully clear what they're really after: that little blonde in the stretchy pants. There's even an online comedy sketch on YouTube called "Inappropriate Yoga Guy" about a man who hits on all the girls in his yoga classes with cheesy pickup lines and badly timed compliments.

Have you ever experienced anything like this? Sometimes it's just newbies who are nervous and don't understand the unspoken rules yet, but other times it's a genuinely uncomfortable situation. Where should the line be drawn?

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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?

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