Pas de doux: Leaving not a muscle untouched. Photo: Reuters

Yoga, it seems, is following the route of fusion cooking. Hatha or ?physical? yoga, which focuses on breathing, has all but disappeared from gym timetables. Instead, you can now choose from a range of variations, including yogilates, rock yoga, ballet yoga, kick yoga, yoga for tennis, yoga for couples and yoga for kids. Yoga is now practised to rock music and combined with tai chi. There?s even yogassage (a combo of yoga and massage), underwater yoga and yoga for dogs.

?Ten years ago, there were only two places in London where you could do yoga,? says Jonathan Sattin, a founder of Triyoga, Britain?s largest yoga centre, in Primrose Hill. ?There?s now a type of yoga for every personality.?

These days, people don?t ask: do you do yoga? Rather, what type of yoga do you do? In my opinion, the new variations make it more fun. But purists say it?s impossible to improve something that?s already perfect.

Yoga ballet fusion

This is the invention of David Olton, a professional dancer and yoga teacher. The mixture of ballet, Pilates and Vinyasa Flow yoga (similar to Ashtanga or power yoga) does not leave a muscle untouched. The music makes it easy to get lost in the moment, though who could possibly not notice the warm-ups, which are a combination of Pilates and Ashtanga-style sun salutes? Then comes the ballet part, for which you lie on your back on the floor. In time to a slow Bollywood soundtrack, Olton works through the tendues, demi and full pli?s and glissades in a rhythmic but slow fashion, so that every muscle surrounding the hips is engaged.

Finally, there?s a ?10-minute blast? of abdominal crunches. Just as I thought the class was over, he said: ?Now we do this 10 more times.? Olton?s unfaltering energy and dialogue makes yoga ballet fusion amusing, though hardly painless.

Yogassage

Also known as ?lazy man?s yoga?, it involves nothing more than lying on your back and letting someone else ? in my case, yoga teacher Isla Sandilands from Unlisted (an agency that sends practitioners to your house) ? do all the hard work.

Sandilands admits that yogassage is not to everyone?s liking. There are painful and awkward moments. Using her elbows, forearms and knees, Sandilands pokes, pulls, jabs and stands on the parts of your body that would rather not be touched. Her job is to put you, manually, into a yoga position, then stretch you.

Lotus, the standard crossed-leg position, is performed upside down ? you sit cross-legged, lean back with your legs in the air and your instructor lies on top of your legs, which makes the stretch so deep that you start begging for mercy.

There are no oils involved and if you?re not careful, you could end up with bruises. But it?s meant to help with sciatica, headaches and back pain because it goes much deeper than an ordinary massage.

Kids? yoga

Kids? yoga is ?like school, but a bit more fun?, says my nine-year-old Constantin, who attended Christina Pateras? class for five- to nine-year-olds at Triyoga. The kids spent most of their time jumping on one leg, roaring like lions, air-cycling and pretending to be butterflies. But every game they played, Pateras explained, is based on a yoga position.

According to Pateras, yoga has an instant effect on children. ?I have kids who arrive arguing and leave having apologised to one other,? she says. ?Parents say their children sleep much better on the days they do yoga and concentrate better in school.?

Look at me

Yoga, like Buddhism, has quite a big fan following in the league of biggies. Here?s are some celebs who are passionate about yoga:

Thanks to her daughter Isabella, Nicole Kidman is now a yoga fanatic. The Aussie actress never had any interest in yoga until little Isabella started stretching and bending on the veranda of Kidman?s beach house in Sydney.

A veggie diet and Cobra Yoga ? that?s what helped former Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell shed a stone. Inspired, she went on to do a 90-minute video on the ?marvels? of yoga. Geri also talks openly about how yoga has helped her to combat her lack of confidence.

After years of jogging with her bodyguards, the Material Girl has become addicted to a routine of Ashtanga Yoga, which, she claims, keeps her in shape from head to toe.

He is a regular in the Hollywood party scene but late nights will not keep him from doing yoga every morning. A teetotaller and also a vegetarian, ?Spiderman? Tobey Maguire has been practising yoga for quite a few years now.

A bad marriage and child molestation charges drove the King of Pop Michael Jackson to the doors of a yoga instructor. Reportedly, it helped him stay calm during the court proceedings.

Making the choice

There has been virtually no scientific study of which types of yoga are best for reaching various goals. But if you feel more calm and energised, you don?t need a study to know whether an exercise is useful. Observe or try a variety of options.

Finding a properly trained teacher is also critical. Some schools set exhaustive requirements for teachers. Go to registered centres and check out credentials of the instructors. Also, ask friends or relatives for references.

See your doctor before starting any rigorous yoga classes if you haven?t had a check-up in two years, are inactive, or have hypertension or a chronic disease.