OK? so I already know that you can?t exactly describe a practice as old as yoga ? which originated some 5,000 years ago in India ? as the ?latest fitness fad?.

Nevertheless, the steadily increasing demand for yoga classes here in Bermuda seems, at least to me, nothing short of phenomenal. One of the most interesting things about yoga is that it addresses the connection between body and mind ? after all, the word yoga literally means ?to yoke? or join together.

This mind-body connection is one of the reasons why I love yoga. I?m the kind of person whose mind is constantly active, and as anyone who has this problem knows, it gets a bit exhausting after a while ? particularly when you?re stressed and all thoughts seem relentlessly centred around your problems.

I used to think this was a by-product of cleverness. Imagine my chagrin when I learned that a constantly chattering brain was a common condition, and that it has been referred to in meditation practices by the less-than-flattering term ?monkey mind?.

Previously, the best way I knew to give my overtaxed brain a mental and emotional break was to either do something to divert my mind?s attention (like reading a good book or, um, zoning out in front of ), or by doing some kind of strenuous physical exercise. And then I discovered yoga. Ahhhhhhhhh. Or rather, ohmmmmmm...

I have friends who are calmer, more serene, more ?centred?, and far more Zen than I will ever be. For them and others of a similar ilk, I imagine that meditation is a fantastic way of relieving stress and ?re-centring? themselves (not, I note bitterly, that people like this ever seem to really re-centring).

I?ve tried meditation before, and it never seemed to work very well for me because the habits of my chattering ?monkey mind? are quite strong.

I?m also quite the sarcastic one, so I had trouble wrapping my mind around the idea of me ? practical, logical me ? in a roomful of mystic Children of the Light staring at a sputtering candle flame.

Of course, I now know that this is terribly reductive, but bear with me ? we all have our prejudices, and I?m just admitting mine.

I?d thought about trying yoga for years, and had the opportunity to try it a few months ago when the gym I attend began offering classes.

I was also motivated by a close friend of mine ? equally aggressive, sarcastic and clever-monkey-minded ? who swore that yoga had changed his life. Thirdly, some of the most ageless pop-icons of our day like Madonna and Sting claim that their impossibly flat abdominals and toned bodies are a direct result of regular yoga practice. A pretty good incentive all by itself, I?d say.

My first few classes were both fun and frustrating. Firstly, I couldn?t believe that something as simple as stretching into different postures could cause me to feel the next day as if I?d had a major workout.

Secondly, I was shocked to find out how flexibility-challenged I was (although my co-workers accuse me of being inflexible all the time, ha ha). This was very frustrating for me, since I must admit that I hate to feel like I can?t do something well.

One of the cardinal rules of yoga is that you are supposed to honour your body and focus on yourself instead of engaging in competitive thoughts or comparing your progress with your neighbour?s.

Unfortunately, 30 years of competitive thinking can?t be wiped out overnight. Besides, you mean to tell me you wouldn?t try to push yourself harder if you saw someone 25 years your senior sitting beside you, forehead touching knees, when you can barely manage a 45 degree angle?

Although I?m slowly trying to eliminate it, the competitive mindset was what kept me interested in yoga during the initial weeks.

I kept thinking, there?s no way I?m gonna stop doing this until I can at least touch the floor! By the time I?d managed to do that, I had no intention of quitting since by then, I was hooked.

The reason why yoga works so well for me is because it employs two of the strategies for mental relaxation that I had already unwittingly stumbled upon ? engaging the body and engaging (rather than simply distracting) the mind.

Yoga can be considered as a form of physical meditation, and it?s precisely the ?yoking? or union of mind and body that make it such a powerful tool. Although there?s a preconception that yoga consists of folding yourself up like human origami, it?s not exactly as it seems.

Depending on the focus of your instructor, yoga can be a very holistic activity consisting of deep stretching, building strength, balance, and yes ? meditation.

For example, the effort it takes to balance in certain postures is precisely why yoga is so cool ? your mind is engaged with achieving the physical task of the moment instead of useless thoughts like all the million-and-one things you need to do before dinner.

Yoga also speaks to the fundamental truth that everyone has individual strengths. Although clearly I doubt I?ll ever be the most flexible person in my class, I was happy to note (with just a hint of smugness) that my balancing abilities outstripped those of even my teacher. And even my flexibility is slowly, slowly, improving.

Regardless of the focus of each yoga class, most conclude with a short period of meditation. Initially, I looked forward to this activity because after an hour or more of stretching into Warrior stance and flowing through Sun Salutations, I?m pretty spent and ready for a rest.

Imagine my surprise when I realised, after several sessions, that I must have morphed into a Child of the Light since the meditation was actually .

And as someone who isn?t exactly a fitness freak, I must admit that although I?ve sometimes had to drag myself out of bed to attend yoga class, I?ve never wished after class that I?d stayed home for that extra hour of sleep.

With all the recent islandwide chatter about the benefits of yoga, I thought it would be interesting to attend some of the classes offered here in Bermuda so that subscribers could read about it from the perspective of someone probably a bit like them - an inflexible, sceptical, and slightly out-of-shape novice.

I ended up in this class accidentally since I was supposed to attend one earlier in the day and got confused about the time (maybe all that mental relaxation is catching up with me). As a result, I attended what was the first class of a multiweek Hatha course.

Under normal circumstances, this particular class would not be a walk-in class, although the Integral Yoga Centre does have walk-in classes available at different times.

Although I don?t know what the focus will be for subsequent classes, it was very helpful to return to the basics in this introductory class, particularly for the cornerstone Sun Salutation: the exact positioning of your arms for Downward Dog, and how far your chest should be off the ground in Cobra, for example.

This 90-minute class had a long meditation session at the end, and Bill mentioned that the meditative aspect is something which receives a fair amount of attention at the Centre.

The location of Integral Yoga Centre is also beneficial, since unlike some of the classes at some of the local gyms, there are no distracting external sounds like the clanging of weights.

Integral Yoga?s classes are $15 for 90 minutes and $10 for 50 minutes.

Thomas Hands, In Motion Dance Studio

I initially found out about this class from a close friend of mine, who attends religiously and often comments about what a terrific teacher he finds Thomas to be.

I?d agree. Tom was very helpful in making sure that my posture was correct, although not to the point where it stopped being fun.

In fact, sometimes while we were breathing in the posture, he?d come over and make a suggestion about how to make the position work a bit better in a voice so mild and unobtrusive that it felt like a conversation I was having with myself instead of an external interruption.

However, I must admit that of all the classes I visited for the purposes of this article, this one was the most physically demanding for me.

Unless you?re already quite fit, I wouldn?t recommend the Sunday morning class for an out-of-shape novice.

His other classes, from what I understand, are not quite as intense.

The class seemed to follow a kind of bell-curve, beginning with stretches, building up to the more strenuous activities, and then gearing down into balancing poses and meditation.

Tom used to offer courses at the Bermuda Biological Station, but now offers classes at the In Motion Dance Studio on Reid Street.

He offers a 75-minute class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7 a.m. as well as a 90 minute class on Sundays at 9 a.m., which is the one I attended.

Thomas said he purposefully keeps the rates low a mere $10 per class, even for walk-ins so that anyone who wants to try yoga can afford his classes.

Ana?s 90-minute ?Rejuvenating Yoga? class at 6.30 p.m. Thursdays at Total Fitness was the first yoga class that I tried here in Bermuda since I have a membership at the gym, and Ana?s class remains my personal favourite.

It?s physically demanding enough where I feel like I?ve had my workout for the day, although not taxing just enough to break a sweat but not to the point where you?re left panting. Ana seems to focus on a lot of deep stretching, which I like.

Ana says that she tries to create balance in the class between the masculine energies of discipline and alignment, and the feminine energies of creativity and spontaneity.

In addition to the open classes she teaches at Total Fitness (which includes a ?Yoga Mom? class on Wednesdays at 2 p.m.), Ana also offers private lessons.

This 75-minute Tuesday evening class is another power yoga class, and is quite similar in many ways to Tom Hands? class not an accidental similarity, since Kym and Tom received some of the same training when they first started although they later branched into slightly different directions.

I left this class on a real high since it seems to combine some of the best elements of a lot of the other classes. It?s quite physically rigourous, although not quite as demanding as Tom?s class.

Kym also adds a few nice touches that helps create ambience there?s a kind of cool music playing that makes you feel as if you?re in a trendy London club, and during the meditation session, Kym turns off the lights so the room is lit by candles alone.

I think she may have even spritzed a bit of scent into the room during the meditation quite welcomed, since yoga does work up a sweat.

I?d suggest that you arrive early for this class if you?re a walk-in, since the cut-off is 20 people and the class fills up quickly.

Power yoga classes are also available Wednesdays at 10.15 a.m. for 55 minutes and Thursday at 5.30 p.m. for 75 minutes.

Although Rajendra teaches several different classes both at the Co-Op in Warwick as well as at In Motion in Hamilton, I attended the morning sunrise session at the Co-Op.

When I arrived shortly before the 7 a.m. session, I was surprised to see that in addition to the instructor, there were only three other mats laid out in the small room.

The very small class size (along with the incense wafting into the room) created a very intimate session, which made it much easier to focus during the meditation portions of the class.

In addition to providing assistance with achieving correct posture, Rajendra also provides commentary throughout the class about the health benefits of particular poses for example, the ones that can aid digestion or help release tension in the shoulders.

Experientially, this class provided a very pleasant way to begin the day. There are points when Rajendra sings his commands for you to ?reeelaaax?, which I found quite soothing.

This class is not as physically rigourous as the power yoga classes such as the ones offered by Tom Hands and Kym Burns.

Instead, the focus is on a traditional style of prana yama, which essentially focuses on preparing the body physically to achieve maximum benefits during meditation.

Walk-in rates are $20, but lower rates are available when paying in advance for multiple sessions. In addition to the physically-based yoga classes, there is also a Wednesday meditation-only class which starts at 7.45 p.m. The class, available for a $5 donation, focuses on breathing and chanting.

The new classes available at In Motion include sunrise yoga from 7 to 8 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday as well as lunchtime yoga from 12.30 to 1.30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

@EDITRULE:

There are several other yoga classes and instructors available on Island beyond the ones mentioned here, and I?d encourage anyone interested in starting yoga to try a version of what I?ve done for this article drop into different classes and see which one suits you best before signing up. Happy meditating...