From the editor.

Moving and breathing. They are the first two things we do when we enter this world, and when they cease, we cease. We more to get from place to place, to reach out to the world around us, pick it up and bring it with us to wherever we're going. We move to work and move to play. Even when we're holding our bodies as still as we can, countless among processes are on the move within: our heart is pumping blood through our veins, and strange fluids are cleaning organs and glands and bathing them with nourishment. We are especially designed for movement. (Even our teeth have joints!) Although some of us incorporate more movement into our lives than others, we all wiggle and bend, twist and stretch our way through each day.

And breathing: the breath that inspires us. In order to interact, to play the beautiful game of this world, we must accept the blessings of oxygen every second or so and give up our exhales as offerings. We bring the magic of the world around us into our bodies and give back a part of ourselves that we no longer need to hold on to. And all this without a second thought! Breathing and moving are not about thinking, not about the mind. They are our natural gifts, to do with what we will. If we are fully present with our inhale and exhale, our turning of heads and reaching out of hands, the use of the muscles of our throats and voice boxes to make sounds ... if we really breathe in the world around us, really open our eyes to see and our ears to hear it, then we are alive in our breathing and moving. We are alive!

Take a deep breath and dive in to the advice and techniques, the poses and practices offered here. It's all about waking up muscles and bones, lungs and bellies to the aliveness that has been forgotten. After trying your new yoga poses, take a good long walk outside, breathing in the winter trees and clouds and cold, crisp air. Ask the aliveness you feel to fill your everyday life. Enjoy your inspiration!