Its pretty hard to have not noticed that there are yoga studios, classes and magazines popping up everywhere. Yoga has gone mainstream in a big way in the past few of years.

What once was looked upon as a form of exercising which only the extremely limber would attempt, yoga has been given new life with many new forms arriving in a neighborhood class near you.

You dont even have to study Indian spirituality, become a vegetarian or burn incense to become a devout follower. It does, however, help to have a desire to eat properly, exercise regularly, have an inherent love of quiet time, and the will to become healthy.

I recently took my 84 year-old Father to a physician for plantar fascitis (an inflamed ligament in the heel) and the doctor actually recommended yoga and stretching as a cure. When did Western medicine become so non-traditional? If you cant beat em, join em? Maybe.

It could be that the benefits of yoga are beginning to show themselves in so many ways that it cant be overlooked anymore.

Upscale spas now offer Pilates and yoga where you would have found free weights and aerobics just a few years ago. Many triathlete and cycling magazines now tout the benefits of yoga as an aid in pre and post-event stretching. The names of the new generation yoga studios are even more eye-catching, such as: Power Yoga, Core Yoga and Love Yoga.

The old days of yogis sitting in a lotus position offering lyrical and mystical Indian names of poses in high-pitched calming voices has been replaced by the Type A personality instructor giving praise and encouragement to a class full of executives as they strain and stretch to improve performance in all areas of their lives.

Retreats are offered from Maine to San Diego and everywhere in between. Exotic vacations are designed around yoga on island getaways in the Caribbean, Pacific, the Mediterranean, and at mountaintop hotels in Vail, Aspen and Lake Tahoe. Workshops on how to reach enlightenment, become healthier in mind and body are also offered at the best urban health clubs.

What all of this boils down to is, the realistic results offered and obtained from the sustained practice of yoga are now widely recognized. The centuries-old traditions have finally proven to be of practical advantage to the Western train of medical thought.

Okay, so were a little slow, but at least weve arrived. If you havent looked into yoga maybe now is the time. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.