Jivamukti is a style of yoga created in 1984 by David Life and Sharon Gannon. The name Jivamukti comes from the Sanskrit word, "Jivanmukti" which means enlightenment. They want the name to remind their students of the true aim of Yoga (which, by the way, is not to get a great looking booty).

This class is vigorously physical but focuses more on spirituality. It begins with group chanting, followed by a 10 minute instructor given talk about "The Focus of the Month."

The chanting and the chat take up about 20 minutes and then you start moving. This is tough for someone like me who has a hard time sitting still. There's about 45 minutes of intense yoga, and then the class moves onto a relaxing closing sequence including shoulderstand. To finish, there's a 5-10 minute Savasana (corpse poses a.k.a. nap time) and the class ends "Om-ing" together.

It's a great class if you're looking for something deeper from your yoga practice (aside from deeply stretching). It's also perfect for those days when you feel like moving your body, but don't have enough energy for a 5 mile run.

Fit's Tip: Classes are not just limited to the Jivamukti Yoga School in NYC - they have centers in other cities too. Or call around to find out if a local studio offers Jivamukti yoga classes taught by instructors trained at the NYC school.