Yoga is the best thing you can do for yourself in terms of complete fitness.

I realize that's a pretty bold statement, but in very few places can you get the strength, flexibility, cardio, balance, power, and mental relaxation that you get in yoga. You touch almost every muscle you own through every range of motion possible. You do it all with zero shock on your joints, needing only a three-by-six-foot piece of floor to get it done. It's pretty much ideal.

I took my first yoga class in 1998, and have learned most of what I know from Bryan Kest and the other fine people over at Santa Monica Power Yoga. Since the summer of 2003, I've taught at high-profile LA-area fitness centers as well as local, neighborhood studios including SMPY.