Start with the breath

The foundation of yoga is deep, steady breathing. The reason: Your breath connects your mind and body. Here's an example of how it works: Let's say you're sitting in a work meeting, and it's not going well. Maybe deadlines aren't being met or you don't have enough resources. You feel your neck and shoulders tensing up, and that tension may move into your jaw or trigger a headache. This is the perfect moment to practice yoga — just by breathing.

Take a few moments while you're sitting in your meeting to observe your breath. Maybe you're breathing rapidly or holding your breath. Try to gently lengthen the breath on each inhale and exhale. It may help to count silently to four when you inhale and count down from four when you exhale.

Gradually lengthen your breaths to a count of five on the inhale and exhale. This will tell your body, "Hey, everything's OK here — you can relax." Your heart rate will slow, and your neck, shoulders and jaw will start to relax.