The holidays are a great time to hang out with the family, but if you have young kids who are out of school, cooped up because of bad weather, and high on sugar, you could probably all use a break. (Yes, I'm speaking from very personal experience here). Yoga with the kids is the answer to your troubles. Get out mats for yourself and the kids and lead them in a some fun poses. It should entertain them for at least a couple of minutes, and may just give you the patience you need to make in through until bedtime. (Yes, I'm speaking from very personal experience here). Happy Holidays!

I originally came up with this sequence as part of my yoga for back pain series, but it works wonderfully as a stretching routine that targets some of the areas of the body that most need it. A little backbending, a little hamstrings, a little twist: four little stretches that tackle big stress.

I'm going with a yule themed pose on this Christmas week: knee to ankle is also called firelog pose because the legs should look like neatly stacked logs. I've also heard this pose called double pigeon and, on occasion, heard a few curse words thrown out as the hips open and knees settle into place. Happy Holidays!

What I like about most of these yoga mat bags is that they are not your typical mat-shaped tube (though you can find that here too, if that's your style), nor do they look like sporty gym bags (ditto). My favorites are stylish, functional, everyday bags that are enhanced with handy straps for carrying your mat on the days you need it. Any one of these would make a great gift for the yogini fashionista in your life.