Stretch, hang, stroke, spin, bark. Yoga is evolving to fit the spiritual and cardiovascular needs of fitness buffs. From the bizarre to the furry, heres a look at the latest trends in getting bendy.

By Anne Burkley CTW Features

Yoga has been around for centuries; in fact, millennia.Although it has been adapted and modernized through the ages, yoga remains a practice that is meant to enhance the mind-body-spirit connection.

How people achieve this connection varies, and more and more instructors and students are taking their practice off the mat, or out of the studio entirely. Dozens of yoga styles that fuse elements of dance, martial arts and strength training with more traditional forms of yoga are popping up in gyms and studios across the country.

From high-flying to furry, heres a look at the latest trends in being peacefully flexible:

AERIAL YOGA

Aerial yoga does more than take yoga to a different level, it takes it off the ground completely. A fabric hammock (picture the beautiful, flowing material of a circus aerialist) is used to support yogis in a number of poses, both on and off the mat.

(Continued from previous page) Practicing yoga midair may seem like a break from tradition, but Michelle Dortignac, founder of Unnata Aerial Yoga, based in New York City, doesnt think so. I dont really see aerial yoga as completely different from traditional yoga at all, she says.The hammock is a prop, just like bricks, blankets or bolsters.

Not only does the hammock help students reap the benefits of poses that they couldnt do without the support of the fabric and help of gravity, but aerial yoga also decompresses the spine, increases flexibility, strength and breathing capacity and reduces stress.

STAND-UP PADDLE BOARD (SUP) YOGA

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