The most common form of yoga in the U.S. is Hatha. There are several styles of Hatha yoga taught, and new incarnations arrive daily. Here is a sample of what you may see on a studio class schedule: Ashtanga, Anusara, Bikram, Iyengar, TriYoga, Vinyasa, Yinyoga... You will need to experience each of these styles on your own to develop your preference.

After studying many of the styles listed above, I found Vinyasa, which spoke to the dancer inside me. Vinyasa, sometimes called flow, is a style of yoga that links specific poses together with intentional breath. It is similar to the choreography of a dance, where the transitions between the poses are just as deliberate as the poses themselves. A typical class will begin with seated meditation, followed by chanting, then sequenced series of poses linked by specific breath instruction, and then the class closes with a 5-10 minute relaxation.

Try the series of poses shown below, a modification of the Suyra Namaskar (Sun Salutation). Use your breath as a guide to slow down whenever your cannot fully inhale or exhale. Make the movements as large as you can, creating an expansive feeling in the spine. I've found that this simple series of poses is good for people who have back issues, sit all day, or who lack energy.

Want to know more poses? Check out Lorien's blog, which gets updated monthly with poses, breathing techniques and schedule notices. To receive an email whenever this blog is updated, send an email to Lorien with the text "blog addition" in the subject.