For more than 20 years, I have been practicing yoga.  I love all types of fitness, but yoga provides something more—although I haven’t always felt this way.

I left my first yoga class halfway through because the slow, intense, focused nature of the poses was frustrating me. I couldn’t even sit still in it and it seemed pointless. A few years later, I tried another class that I liked. Still, I didn’t understand yoga nor did I know about all its different varieties.  It took some time before I learned exactly what it was and what I loved about it.

Yoga offers something different for everyone: meditation, fitness, a relaxing environment, stretching—you name it. Yoga is one of those great physical activities that you can do just about anywhere, indoors outdoors, on vacation—whenever, wherever. It really is a diversified practice. 

So if you are new to yoga, and want to learn more about it, I put together this very basic list of facts, poses and terms. It might help enlighten you on some of the wonders of yoga.

SOME TERMS...

ASANAS: Also called “yoga postures,” Asanas are gentle stretching movements designed to help balance the mind and body.

BIKRAM YOGA: Bikram Yoga is named after its founder, Bikram Choudhury. Bikram Choudhury's yoga is practiced in a room with a temperature of up to 100 degrees, so be prepared to sweat a lot. Each posture is usually performed twice and held for a certain period of time. This style of yoga can be intense on the body, so be sure to speak to a doctor first if you have any concerns.

CHAKRA: A center of radiating life force or energy that is located between the base of the spinal column and the crown of the head. Sanskrit for “wheels.” There are seven chakras.

MEDITATION: This is one of the Five Principles of Yoga. It is the practice by which there is constant observation of the mind. It requires you to focus your mind at one point and stilling the mind in order to perceive the self.

PRANYAMA: It is the science of breath control. This is an important part of Hatha Yoga because the yogis of old times believed that the secret to controlling one's mind can be unlocked by controlling one's breath.

VINYASA YOGA: This is one of the principles of Ashtanga Yoga that makes it distinct from the other styles of yoga. Vinyasa, which means breathing and movement, is for internal cleansing.

SOME FUN FACTS...

-There are 19 different types of yoga. See some of the styles above.

-Yoga is said to have started as far back as 30000 B.C.

-You work just about every single muscle during yoga practice.

-There are 66 official yoga poses, and hundres of variations.

-Twisting your body in various poses is good for detoxing and cleansing your body. (See poses below)

-Prenatal yoga is a wonderful fitness routine...
         -It helps women sleep better.
         -It is one of the few exercises women can do during all stages of pregnancy.
         -It helps reduce swelling and relieve aches and pains.
         -It helps your breathing  pattern for that big delivery day.

(EXTRA FUN FACT: I was three months pregnant with Bryn during the filming of my yoga DVD!)

SOME POSES...

There are so many poses and variations of poses in the yoga practice. Check out these photos from an US Weekly shoot I did last Spring.

       Wide Leg Forward Bend                           Revolved Extended Side Angle

         Extended Side Angle                                            Triangle

                  Warrior 2                                                       Warrior 1

         Downward Facing Dog                                           Half Plank

                     Warrior 3                                        Mountain Pose

This brief glossary and list of facts is just scratching the surface of yoga study.  It is an extensive topic with a lot to learn. There are so many types of yoga, but it is also a personal experience.  Make it your own.

How do you make yoga your own?  Upload and "Submit" a picture of a “new” yoga pose you created and paste the photo URL and the name of the pose in the comments below.  I will choose my top five favorite poses and award you all with an autographed copy of my “Bethenny’s Skinnygirl Workout” DVD.  Get creative!

•    You must be a registered Bethenny.com member to enter.
•    Only photos that are officially submitted will be entered.  To submit a photo, you must upload the photo to your personal profile and click "submit" on the right-hand column.
•    Winners will be contacted via private message to their Bethenny.com inbox and by email. If our team does not hear back within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected in your place.
•    Limit one photo per entry. Multiple photo entries will not be considered.
•    This giveaway ends at midnight PST on January 17, 2012.