Yoga Journal's Yoga for Fitness and Health 2012

Strength and flexibility are the hallmarks of any fitness regimen. Yoga is one of the few activities that build both in equal measure. Each asana is in itself a study in balance; each contributes to long, lean, fluid, and functional muscles. Yoga employs both eccentric (lengthening) and concentric (shortening) muscular contractions. “Yoga for Fitness & Health,” a Yoga Journal special issue, includes Basics columns to help you master the poses you're most likely to encounter in any fitness-focused class; a Conditioning section, which explains how yoga can be used instead of weightlifting to shape your legs, glutes, arms, and back; eight fun and challenging Home Practice columns to inspire you to get on the mat; a few stories about allowing your yoga practice to influence what goes on your plate and into your mouth; and seven of YJ's best ideas for keeping your motivation high and doing an end run around burnout.