In addition to the physical benefits, yoga promotes mental fitness and a mind-body connection by encouraging you to focus your mind and turn your attention inward. The ability to focus is an important benefit of yoga that carries over into other athletic activities and activities of daily life.

Breathing is a key technique for focusing your mind and body in yoga. Try to feel the breath flowing into the area of the body on which you are focusing in each pose. In general, the body opens when you inhale and contracts when you exhale, and how you breathe as you enter, hold, and exit a pose contributes to how deeply you can work in the posture.

The body moves in four directions: forward bends (flexion), backward bends (extension), sideways bends (lateral extension) and twists (rotation).

Be aware of these breathing tips for four natural motions as you flow through yoga poses:

• Inhale when moving into back bends.
• Exhale when moving into forward bends.
• Exhale when moving into side bends.
• Exhale when moving into twists.

Yogic breathing means inhaling and exhaling deeply through the nose. The benefits of regulated breathing include invigoration of the body during asanas, facilitation of healing, and preparation of the mind for meditation at the end of a class.

Some yoga instructors encourage students to practice ujjayi pranayama, or "victorious breath," during a class. This technique involves which involves breathing deeply and evenly through the upper nasal passages. Your mouth should be closed, but you should be able to hear your breath making a hissing sound.

Triangle pose (utthita trikonasana) is a yoga exercise because it promotes alignment. Triangle poses stretch the sides of the spine and the muscles between the ribs, as well as the legs and hips.

Because triangle poses involve both twisting and balancing, they are also among the strongest mind-body poses because of the focus that is needed to do them correctly.

Keep these points in mind to tune up your triangles:

• Place the heel of your front foot in line with the arch of your back foot. The front foot points straight ahead and the back foot is turned in about 45 degrees. To start with the right side, place your right foot in front of you and raise your arms to a "T."
  
• Keeping your hips centered, reach as for as you can straight ahead with your right arm, then bend forward and reach your right arm down to your right shin or ankle, or to the floor if you are more flexible.
  
• Concentrate on extending through the back of the knee of the back leg, keeping the back leg straight and the back foot grounded. Both leg and both feet should be equally active and grounded into the floor.
  
• Rotate from the hips first as you reach down with your right hand, and then rotate through the chest. The head should be the last part of the body to turn towards the ceiling, and if your neck bothers you, it's okay to gaze at the floor. Try to keep your shoulders stacked so they form a line perpendicular to the floor.

The term "power yoga" was developed as a way to make ashtanga yoga more accessible to Western tastes and interests. The term "ashtanga" may not mean anything to you, but "power yoga" implies a good workout for the time that you spend at the gym.

The key principle of power yoga is strength. Strength comes first, then flexibility. If you don't have strength in your shoulders, for example, you can't progress to the advanced inversion poses that will hone your flexibility. A power yoga class usually beings with some vigorous vinyasa, such as some variation of a sun salutation series. Although you can be certified in power yoga, there is plenty of room for variation, and you won't get the exact same class two weeks in a row from the same instructor.

But most power yoga classes include strength-building poses such as arm balances and challenging standing poses such as the warrior series.

The warrior series (virabhadrasana) works all the major muscle groups: legs, back, shoulders, and arms, but it is especially good for opening the hips. Even beginner classes will likely introduce warrior I, and advanced classes will include warrior II and warrior III.

Remember these "hip" points to make the most of your warriors:

Warrior I: Square your hips forward and try to keep them even. It helps to think of your hip bones as the headlights on a car.

Warrior II: When you open out sideways into warrior II, concentrate on keeping your hips level and centered. Don't lean too far forward or too far back.

Warrior III: Focus on the external rotation of the hip of your raised leg, keeping both the raised and the standing legs as straight as possible.

Rest is an important part of fitness because rest periods are when the body recovers and muscle fibers repair and grow stronger.

Similarly, it's important not to ignore the mind-body connection as part of your overall fitness plan. The process of relaxation will help reduce the wear and tear on your mind, body, and spirit.

There are no hard and fast rules for relaxation. A "relaxation technique" includes anything that helps you relieve stress by increasing your awareness of your body and refocuses your mind to something calm. Yoga, tai chi, meditation, and even taking a bath qualify as relaxation techniques.

Try one (or all) of these three simple relaxation techniques to get you started:

• Visualization. Close your eyes, sit quietly, and use as many senses as you can to imagine traveling to a peaceful place -- such as a quiet beach along the ocean -- and imagine the smell of the salt air and the sound of the waves.
  
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Lie on your back on the floor or a mat. Focus on slowly tensing and relaxing each major muscle group. Start with your shoulders, then your arms and hands, and then your chest, hips, legs, and feet. Or start with your toes and move up. Squeeze the muscles in each area for 5 seconds, then relax for 30 seconds and move to the next group. This technique helps you recognize the difference between tension and relaxation, and you will start to learn your tension trouble spots and sense when they are especially tight.
  
• Autogenic relaxation. This technique combines visualization and muscle relaxation. To practice autogenic relaxation, repeat words or suggestions in your mind while relaxing your muscles. Send a deep, calming breath to the tight spots, and allow those tight muscles to unclench and relax.

Pilates weight loss exercises promote a longer, leaner body line just as yoga poses do because they involve stretching, bending, and twisting the body while developing core strength. If you have the funds and the facilities nearby, you can take private Pilates lessons that involve doing exercises on a variety of low-tech machines using pulleys, springs, and straps. But you can get all the benefits of Pilates from mat-based exercises in a class or at home, too. Pilates moves take a lot of concentration, and you may prefer to take a Pilates class first so you can learn the proper technique.

Most Pilates moves will work your abs and lower back, as well as your thighs and buttocks. So even if the numbers on the scale stay the same, you will develop a leaner silhouette and better posture from Pilates workouts.

Strengthening the core muscles of the body is one of the principles of Pilates; Pilates abdominal workouts are one example of how Pilates weight loss can work by building strength and helping the body to burn fat. Pilates abs exercises focus on the deep abdominal muscles that stabilize the core of the body.

Here's a Pilates deep ab exercise to try:

• Start by lying on your back. Pull your knees towards your chest and place your hands behind your head. Don't lock your fingers or pull on your neck.
  
• Bring your left elbow towards your right knee while extending your left leg straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor.
  
• Hold the position while you exhale, then repeat on the other side. Repeat 5 times on each side for a total of 10 crisscrosses.

One of the key health benefits of yoga is that you are building strength without stress, because you are working against your own body weight. Also, balancing postures engage your core muscles and build core body strength.

You need not be flexible to benefit from yoga--even one beginner class a week can contribute to your overall health and fitness and make you better able to handle other tough workouts if you are training for marathons, triathlons, or other events.

You can find enough styles of yoga to fit almost any fitness level or interest. If you want a more active yoga practice, try ashtanga or Bikram yoga. If you want to focus on body alignment, opt for Iyengar or Kripalu. Be aware that some classes (and instructors) have more of a spiritual attitude than others, so you may need to sample a few classes before you find the right fit. And you need not stick to one style. Go to ashtanga yoga on Monday and Bikram on Wednesday. You can enjoy the health benefits of yoga from any style.

Curious about hot yoga? Also known as "hot yoga," Bikram yoga first became popular in the U.S. in the 1970s. Temperatures in a Bikram or hot yoga class approach 100 degrees, so bring a towel and bring your own mat, and be ready to sweat.

Ideally, the sauna-like environment of a Bikram yoga studio helps the body eliminate toxins through sweat. Also, the extreme heat makes the muscles more flexible. If you are new to Bikram yoga, it's normal to feel slightly dizzy or lightheaded at first, but if you feel seriously ill, back off and relax.

Do you ever wonder how dancers get their great legs? A dancer's legs workout will tone and strengthen your legs and promote flexibility, which is helpful for any sport or activity.

Here are some basic exercises from a dancer's workout, and all you need is a chair to be your partner.

• High kicks: Stand with your heels together and your toes turned out. Hold the back of a sturdy chair with your left hand and raise your right arm overhead. Raise your right leg as high as you can without leaning back. Keep a straight torso and pull your abs in. You may only be able to lift your leg a few inches off the floor, but that's okay. Lower your right arm to your side and circle your raised leg out to the side and then behind you. Then dip your torso towards the floor, using the chair for support, and extend your right arm out in front of you. Lower your right foot to the floor and return to the starting position. Repeat as desired, and switch to the other side.

• Scissor legs: Lie on the floor on your left side. Cushion your head on your left arm and place your right hand on the floor for balance. Stack your legs in line with your torso. Raise your right leg about two feet from the floor and hold it while you raise your left leg about one foot from the floor. Pause and lower the left leg, then the right leg. Repeat as desired, and switch to the other side.