For the past few months, I’ve been on the magical mystery tour of yoga. Not that I was sheltered or anything, but at the yoga studios I had been practicing at, we only were offered a few different flavors—vinyasa and hatha. Kind of like vanilla and chocolate—classics but I always want to know if there is something else out there like mint chocolate chip?

My foray into yoga-teacher training and the yoga community on Twitter (@downwarddog) has turned me on to many new forms of yoga, and now I’m like a kid at Baskin-Robbins; I want to try out all the flavors before I decide.

Not that I have to pick just one, but I would like to figure out my “major” or specialty of yoga, so to speak, and then pursue my 500-hour-level certification in it. I decided that I am going to take some time before I jump into the 500-hour and really do some extensive taste-testing to find the flavor that really turns me on. Here are a few yoga flavors I got to savor recently.

Kundalini. When someone tells me that a form of yoga used to be held secret, that you had to be worthy to practice it, and that it can give you an incredible high, you are going to pique my interest. I got a small taste of kundalini yoga as part of my YTT, and I knew I would need to have the full scoop. It used to be hard to find kundalini yoga in northeast Ohio but not anymore. Alecia Bernardo has formed a kundalini study group to meet, talk, and practice kundalini yoga. I went to the inaugural session, and we got our sat nams on well into the evening at Westside Yoga Studio. I also got to meet Colleen O’Rourke, who just recently returned to Cleveland and is a certified kundalini teacher, and am hoping to get to one of her classes soon (she is teaching locally at Acenda Yoga, Studio 11 in Tremont, The Studio Cleveland, and Agni Yoga Studio). There is so much to learn about this practice, and I definitely want to explore it more (and, yes, the breathing techniques and spiritual aspects of the practice will leave you feeling pretty damn good). If you would like more details about the study group, please contact me.

Chair yoga/Yoga therapy at Westlake Village Senior Center. I have to admit, yoga therapy is the front-runner right now for my 500-hour training. I never got into yoga teaching to do the power, flashy classes. Instead, I really wanted to help people who I know can benefit from yoga the way that I have. I attended a Saturday-afternoon yoga class taught to a group of women and men well over 70 years old. These students were rocking their chair and standing yoga poses, and the smiles were contagious. I got to practice Reiki at the end of the class on one of the students, and it was such a moving experience (even got me a little verklempt). Judi Bar, who led the class, told us how she has seen the students’ balance and movement improve over the past year she has taught the class, and the activity director affirmed what a positive impact the classes have had on the students’ well-being. It was a yogalicious experience for me!

Don't You Just Love Trying New Flavors of Gelato?

IAM-Meditation. Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique is a simple combination of yoga, pranayama, and meditation. You start with five minutes of yoga asanas to relax you, followed by a 15-minute self-guided meditation session that culminates in savasana. The whole practice takes only 20 minutes and is supposed to be done every day to reduce stress and bring peace of mind and mental clarity. IAM was created by world-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, affectionately known to millions as “Amma,” the hugging guru. Amma has taught meditation to millions of people throughout the world and I’ve heard gives a kick-ass hug. I always thought it would be kind of cool to have a guru, and if my guru was a woman, even better, so I’m going to be doing a little more research on her (just picked up the documentary about her, called Darshan: The Embrace). Since I attended the seminar a week ago, I have managed to do it every morning. I want to continue the practice for a full month before I pass out any endorsements, but I will tell you that I have felt mentally clearer and focused as I go through my day. Thanks to my friend Pam for turning me onto this free workshop held at Core Essentials Yoga & Pilates in Canton, Ohio.

So, what else is on my list?

–Bikram. I’ve just heard so much about this hot yoga, I have to try it. Watch out, Cathy, I’m coming to Chicago this summer, and you are going to accompany me to my first bikram class.

– Laughter yoga. I have been to two laughter yoga classes and I love it! What a great workout for the abdominals, and, really, the whole body benefits from all those endorphins released when you laugh. I definitely want to get certified to teach laughter yoga in the coming year.

–Ayurveda. This one is a bit overwhelming to me because there is so much to it, but I really want to learn more and start practicing an Ayurvedic diet.

So, what is your favorite flavor? Which flavors do you want to try?

I guess the good thing about yoga is that there are so many flavors. I’ll never get bored and there will always be something new to try (which makes me incredibly happy).