Those of us on the path may be pursuing a state of peace, but we can often feel dour and uptight about the supposed differences between our party-loving friends and ourselves. This year, consider using the holidays as a way to not take such pursuits so seriously.

Deepak Chopra's New York Times bestselling book, Buddha, traces Siddhartha's path to enlightenment from prince to divine deity. Mindy Frenkel's journe...

If we want to keep the American yoga chariot we're riding from crashing and burning in its own funeral pyre, we must respect the spiritual wisdom from which it was born. Perhaps it's time to put our desires aside and allow Arjuna, with the help of Krishna, take back the reins.

There's a giant pink elephant on the yoga mat, and I'm just gonna come out and say it. How come when I go to any new-to-me yoga studio, or hang out with a group of "yoga people," I feel more judged there than anywhere else?

Even more impressive than the power of yoga in this story is the fierce resiliency of these teens' spirits. Perhaps yoga and meditation awaken something in the human spirit that was always there, but which we lose sight of or neglect.

Many of the millions of people who actually do yoga in this country do it so they will look hot and have a rocking body, while many of the people who teach and cultivate yoga in this country turn a blind eye to this and pretend that everyone does yoga purely for the deep spiritual insight.

They remind me of the importance of slowing down, of really being present in the moment, of kindness. Their joy and cheeky inquisitiveness remind me that childhood is a gift, that we are blessed by the child's wonder and delight.

I would assert that despite the wide variety of yoga options and individual preferences, there is one universal element: the union of consciousness and movement, breath and awareness.

Not a day goes by when I don't eat cooked food or animal products. And not a day goes by when I don't practice yoga. Both feel better with company.

Yogaworks has opened a new studio in New York, at the corner of Broadway and Grand Street. It's got bamboo floors and showers with impressive pressure. The only thing missing? People.

The stretching and breathing, when coupled with a meditative, focused intention, can make you feel pretty damn good, even if the whole thing is choreographed to a Kanye West track.