Heres something you need to know before attending your first Ashtanga yoga class: youre going to get sweaty. Ashtanga yoga is a particularly intense and physically athletic form of yoga, with challenging, rapid movements. Youll want your clothing to be comfortable -- even while sweating profusely -- and allow you to move freely through the movements without agitation.

How to Do a Vertical Standing Split. Whether youre attempting to advance your yoga practice, become a better dancer or simply improve your flexibility, standing splits offer a way to enhance your ability. Without the ass...

The health benefits of yoga have been well-documented, with results ranging from better posture to more flexibility. The practice has become an integral part of life for millions of women who want to look as good as they feel, ...

yoga pants are so comfortable and flattering; their popularity has surged far beyond the yoga mat. With their wide elastic waistband, soft, stretchy fabric and close-but-not-too-tight fit, it's no wonder women everywhere are in...

Bikram yoga is a specific form of yoga that encompasses 26 postures and a room that is hot and humid. The process of contorting the body for the different poses, coupled with the heat and humidity can cause significant discomfo...

...eons. It's likely game over if you strain a tendon or throw your knee out of alignment, which is often called runners knee. Pain relief, though, can be as close as your nearest Bikram, or hot, yoga class.

... you experience during any type of exercise is important, but if you're working out with the intention of losing fat, the number of calories you'll burn during the activity is crucial to know. Bikram yoga and running are dis...

...l of your endocrine glands and other parts of the nervous system to help regulate your body's internal environment, including your responses to stress. Some preliminary research suggests that regular yoga practice might infl...

Hot Fusion yoga is the merging of the practice of yoga in a hot room with Vinyasa, or in some cases, other yoga styles. As with most exercise types, there are pros and cons. For those who enjoy yoga, adding a hot fusion class c...

...'s always best to speak to your doctor when you experience chest tightness to rule out any possible medical conditions. If stress, poor posture, anxiety and lack of stretching are your main culprits, yoga can help to allevia...

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Yoga - LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's gone way beyond your neighborhood yoga studio. Google and Twitter offer yoga classes to employees. The Giants have Yoga Day at AT&T Park, inviting fans to practice their downward dog in center field before the game. There's also yoga on the South Lawn of the White House at the annual Easter Egg Roll.

About 20.4 million Americans practice yoga, according to a survey by Yoga Journal. With that boom in popularity has come an explosion of scholarship -- and an exhibit at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco titled "Yoga: The Art of Transformation," which opens Friday. It surveys yoga's 2,500-year history -- a quest for an enlightened mind and supple body that began among wandering Indian ascetics. It is billed as the first major art exhibition on yoga, and the Asian Art Museum is its only West Coast venue.

A sculpture titled "Brahmani" is part of the new exhibit "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" at the Asian Art Museum Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

The exhibit debuted in October in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

"But it had to go to California," said Debra Diamond, the show's organizing curator, who has flown out for the opening in San Francisco. "I think the percentage of people who do yoga and care deeply about yoga -- it's the place. Yoga and Indian culture are deeply embedded."

At the museum, the story is told through sculpture and painting, manuscripts and film. India's greatest artists have long grappled with yogic themes, it turns out, and the exhibit is a visual feast. It should appeal even to those who don't tote yoga mats along with their decaf lattes.

Watercolors are brushed with ground gold to shimmering effect. Sculptures of sages and divine figures have hips that appear to sway alluringly. One 13th-century figure drips with snakes that fool the eye; they look more like vines heavy with blossoms, intricately carved. And protruding from his lips are two deadly fangs.

"And just look at this beautiful bejeweled woman," said Qamar Adamjee, the Asian Art Museum's associate curator of South Asian art, during a preopening tour. She stood before an 11th-century sandstone figure that spells feminine power: "I love this sculpture. See the softness of the belly, and there's her voluptuous body, and yet she's holding a sword and a shield, and she has teeth," more typically associated with demons in Indian art.

This yogini -- part mortal, part goddess -- sits spread-legged on an owl and is about to take flight. Her pointer fingers are inserted into her mouth as she prepares to emit a war whistle. Historically, yoga has not been only about peace; ancient Indian kings called upon yoginis -- embodiments of secret yogic powers -- to wage battle and expand their kingdoms, according to legend and belief.

Debra Diamond, a Smithsonian associate curator of south and southeast Asian art, leads a tour through the new exhibit "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" at the Asian Art Museum Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif. The exhibit was first displayed at the Smithsonian. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

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Yoga as art?

SAN FRANCISCO -- It's gone way beyond your neighborhood yoga studio. Google and Twitter offer yoga classes to employees. The Giants have Yoga Day at AT&T Park, inviting fans to practice their downward dog in center field before the game. There's also yoga on the South Lawn of the White House at the annual Easter Egg Roll.

About 20.4 million Americans practice yoga, according to a survey by Yoga Journal. With that boom in popularity has come an explosion of scholarship -- and an exhibit at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco titled "Yoga: The Art of Transformation," which opens Friday. It surveys yoga's 2,500-year history -- a quest for an enlightened mind and supple body that began among wandering Indian ascetics. It is billed as the first major art exhibition on yoga, and the Asian Art Museum is its only West Coast venue.

A sculpture titled "Brahmani" is part of the new exhibit "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" at the Asian Art Museum Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

The exhibit debuted in October in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

"But it had to go to California," said Debra Diamond, the show's organizing curator, who has flown out for the opening in San Francisco. "I think the percentage of people who do yoga and care deeply about yoga -- it's the place. Yoga and Indian culture are deeply embedded."

At the museum, the story is told through sculpture and painting, manuscripts and film. India's greatest artists have long grappled with yogic themes, it turns out, and the exhibit is a visual feast. It should appeal even to those who don't tote yoga mats along with their decaf lattes.

Watercolors are brushed with ground gold to shimmering effect. Sculptures of sages and divine figures have hips that appear to sway alluringly. One 13th-century figure drips with snakes that fool the eye; they look more like vines heavy with blossoms, intricately carved. And protruding from his lips are two deadly fangs.

"And just look at this beautiful bejeweled woman," said Qamar Adamjee, the Asian Art Museum's associate curator of South Asian art, during a preopening tour. She stood before an 11th-century sandstone figure that spells feminine power: "I love this sculpture. See the softness of the belly, and there's her voluptuous body, and yet she's holding a sword and a shield, and she has teeth," more typically associated with demons in Indian art.

This yogini -- part mortal, part goddess -- sits spread-legged on an owl and is about to take flight. Her pointer fingers are inserted into her mouth as she prepares to emit a war whistle. Historically, yoga has not been only about peace; ancient Indian kings called upon yoginis -- embodiments of secret yogic powers -- to wage battle and expand their kingdoms, according to legend and belief.

Debra Diamond, a Smithsonian associate curator of south and southeast Asian art, leads a tour through the new exhibit "Yoga: The Art of Transformation" at the Asian Art Museum Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif. The exhibit was first displayed at the Smithsonian. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

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Yoga as art? San Francisco's Asian Art Museum unveils exhibit

Om, thats a lot of fund-raising cash to spend on yoga lessons.

When he wasnt blowing off constituent events, rogue Brooklyn Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. was using supporters dough to pay for fancy Gramercy Park yoga classes for him and his girlfriend, the now-former gal pal testified Wednesday.

Ry-Ann Hermon, the political scions ex-lover and chief of staff, told jurors at Boylands Brooklyn federal court trial that her ex-boss once used $500 in campaign contributions for them to attend two private yoga classes at the Atmananda studios in 2009.

He told me we need to clear our minds, Hermon recalled. Yoga can release stress and tension, so he wanted us to partake in yoga classes.

Prosecutors presented receipts from the high-end studio that showed Boylands cash payment for the stretch sessions.

Hermon also relayed the wellness tips delivered by their yogi.

Jurors were shown an e-mail from an instructor telling Hermon and the stocky assemblyman to avoid snacking for at least 12 hours at a time and to start their days with a hot cup of water.

Boyland who routinely avoided block-association meetings indulged in the extravagances despite routinely running out of money earmarked for community events.

Hermon also testified that Boyland got his son in a Brooklyn private school by offering to steer funds to their coffers but eventually had to pull the boy for not paying tuition.

In addition to the yoga, fund-raiser cash from Boylands hardscrabble district was converted into flashy dinners at hibachi steakhouses in Queens, Mortons steakhouse, dinners, Hermon testified.

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Assemblyman Boyland used fund-raiser cash for yoga classes