Practiced for over 5,000 years, nearly 11 million Americans today are yoga devotees. Yoga practitioners enjoy a host of physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that keep them coming back for more. These benefits can be experienced by beginners after their first class. And with all the different styles of yoga that now exist, yoga is truly for everyone, even those who think they're not flexible enough, too old, or not fit enough to move their bodies through the asanas. Yoga can improve the strength, endurance, and flexibility of anyone who practices it, in addition to the mental and emotional health benefits that come from regular exercise.

Many yoga practitioners think of the health benefits of a regular yoga practice as merely a positive "side effect," to the harmony of the body and mind brought about during yoga. And for many yoga devotees this creates a sense of bliss they leave the class with and carry around with them. This is a kind of mental detoxification that parallels the physical detoxification that also happens during yoga. As a yogi glides through the asanas, they're massaging internal glands and organs thoroughly and in a way that no other type of physical activity accomplishes. This floods the body with nutrient-rich blood that flushes out toxins in nearly every nook and cranny, all while nourishing every part of the body. This stimulation and massage prevents disease and creates a hyper-sensitivity and body awareness that allows some yogis to sense a health problem at early onset.

Heart health pioneer Dr. Dean Ornish used yoga as a prominent part of his study to improve cardiovascular health without surgery. His studies found that yoga lowered blood pressure and slowed down the heart rate, helping people with hypertension, heart disease, and those at risk for stroke. He also found that a regular yoga practice decreased triglycerides and cholesterol, improved immune system function, and perhaps even provided an antioxidant effect.

Anyone who's discovered the self-awareness and personal and physical strength that's often found on the yoga mat knows that the benefits of yoga are many, and some are hard to measure scientifically, or even put into words. But more studies are increasing showing that this ancient practice is calming, restoring, and helps to center the yogi away from the #1 killer in America... stress.

In the same way that yoga is good for men, women, and children from all walks of life, yoga is great for teens, too. At a time when their bodies are changing and teens of both genders may struggle with body image issues, yoga fosters a body acceptance that helps build self-confidence and a healthy body image. Adolescent boys like the way that a regular yoga practice builds muscle, while teen girls appreciate the grace and poise that can result from a regular yoga practice. Yoga can create yoga devotees out of even the most unlikely prospects, especially when they grow to love the way yoga makes them look and feel. And because no one can do every asana perfectly, yoga encourages and supports individuality.Yoga can help soothe menstrual cramps, clear energy blocks that can lead to headaches, irritability, digestive problems, and more. And because yoga soothes tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments, yoga can help with growing pains that plague many teens. Even better, many yoga practitioners believe that the adolescent to later teen years are a time when the chakras are developing and becoming more active within the body. Imbalances in the chakras can manifest themselves in mood swings, rebellion, and a myriad of other negative energies that are stereotypically associated with the teenage years. With a regular yoga practice the chakras are more likely to stay in balance, keeping the body and spirit strong and healthy.

The teenage years are a time of physical, emotional, and mental growth and change, but yoga cultivates a sense of calm in teenage practitioners at a time when many aspects of their lives are stressful and tumultuous. Stress from academics, romantic relationships, friendships, and family pressures can accumulate a host of negative energy in teens, but yoga promotes a sense of calm and an emotional awareness that often results in a more peaceful disposition and generally positive outlook. The focus on deliberate movement quiets the mind, leaving little room for self-consciousness or worry. Mentally balanced teens are happier teens, and this positivity often translates to increased academic success and more stability in their relationships. Parents will enjoy the fact that their yoga-centered teenagers are more capable of dealing with the stresses that plague their peers, so the whole family will benefit from the yoga.

A love of yoga developed during childhood or the teenage years can begin growing a healthy habit of physical activity that will prove beneficial for years to come. Whether yoga is practiced alone or in addition to other physical activity, yoga helps build strength, endurance, and flexibility. In fact, yoga's emphasis on flexibility is an aspect missing from many sports, so even teen athletes can benefit from adding some yoga poses to their athletic repertoire.  As yoga poses strengthen and lengthen muscles, they'll help to improve overall strength and balance, too, as well as lessening the likelihood of an injury during athletic practice or competition.

And, at a time when obesity rates among teens are skyrocketing by the year, yoga can even help teens slim down. A 2006 WebMD study of 60 high schoolers found that after four days practice per week for three months, the study's participants lost an average of six pounds and even reduced their Body Mass Index. The breathing exercises they learned in yoga also helped the students in other areas of their lives, including enhanced concentration and athletic, musical, and public speaking performances, among others.

If you're seeking balance in your hectic life, you're not alone. Between work, family obligations and everything else the typical person has going on, fitting in a regular yoga practice can seem like an impossibility. But it's in the times you think you don't have time for yoga that you usually need it the most, a time just for yourself to focus and concentrate on moving your body and your mind through the poses. Anyone who's ever stepped on a yoga mat during a busy day knows that this time- even if it's borrowed- is well spent. It relaxes, rejuvenates, and centers, recharging you for the rest of your day.

 The beauty and ultimate goal of yoga is that practitioners are able to reach a point where they're able to call upon the peace they find on their mat at any moment, and in every moment. In the yogic tradition there are two ways by which an individual may reach this state of calm and bliss.  The first model is known as the yogi renunciate, perhaps isolated in a cave or standing on a mountaintop, completely removed from the busyness of the everyday. It is in this isolation that the yogi is able to find clarity and peace. The second model is of the yogic warrior, passionate and engaged in the world yet completely committed and dedicated to the well-being of others. This yogi never rests until their fellow beings are content and at peace, and adapts their circumstances so they're able to find their own peace even among the most severe external chaos.  Most yogis should try and find a balance between the two models of the yogic balance of inner peace. This looks something like someone who's able to find peace by creating a space that's free of external demands, distractions, and intrusions, while at the same time channeling their energy toward good through their work, relationships, and service to others.

Whether you're holding wheel pose in the middle of a yoga class, cooling down in shavasana, or scurrying through the grocery store buying items for dinner, keep the goal of yoga balance in mind. Strive to find a balance between offering the body and mind the ability to rest, relax, and recover in between the periods where you engage with the world and may find yourself overloaded. The body isn't replenished by activity after activity without rest; rather, it's worn down by this activity, these daily interactions with the world that are a fact of life. Strive for peace within yourself that's independent of what's going on around you. It is when you achieve this state of enlightened bliss that you'll be most capable of giving of yourself in service to others.

When you think of tantra yoga you may think of Sting, who for many offered the first introduction to this variety of yoga when he revealed he'd long been a yoga devotee during the late '90s yoga boom. Tantra translates into Sanskrit as "expansion." Trantric yoga practitioners concentrate on expanding their levels of consciousness so that they may realize the Supreme Reality. The goal of tantra yoga is the awakening and harmonizing of both the male and female aspects that are inside each person. When both aspects of themselves have been unveiled, the tantric yogi is closer to realizing the whole universe and its expression of the divine life force, the Cosmic Mother, or the spirit. When the tantric yogi is able to connect with this dynamic spiritual energy, they're able to release subconscious blockages and transcend their personal limitations, often a beautifully transforming process.

In practice, tantra yoga uses postures to elevate the consciousness. Focusing on the more spiritual aspects of yoga, tantra involves more of a holistic approach to studying the universe via the study of the individual. Tantra yoga encourages practitioners to study themselves so that they may better understand the world. This usually involves focusing on the shakti, or energy, inside of them, directing it upward through the chakras so that it may collect in the forehead. Once enough of this energy has been collected, the tantra yogi is encouraged to visualize this energy pouring out of their forehead and coalescing in front of them. Once it's there, the yogi attempts to expand the size and shape of the mass of the energy until it's the size and shape of a deity. This symbolic visualization may either be perceived as a form of self-love or of devotion to God or gods, depending on how the tantra yogi chooses to interpret it.

The expansion of awareness that occurs doing a tantra yoga practice can help move practitioners' lives toward a healthier lifestyle. As the tantra yogi draws more deeply into their practice, they're often able to identify factors that are negatively influencing the way they think and feel and, once they've done so, seek to change them so they make transcend these obstacles and improve their lives. It is for this reason that tantra yoga is a great pursuit for those with negative habits and addictions to drugs, alcohol, overeating, and smoking. As the tantra yogi's life grows in order, peace, and contentment, they're better able to release the self-destructive thoughts and behaviors they've been clinging to. It's a beautiful, transformative yoga practice that is life-altering for individuals and, by extension, the universe they inhabit.