Here's a myth about yoga: Your body needs to be as supple as an elephant's trunk in order to assume a lot of crazy positions. Wrong. Yoga is not about how far you can bend, twist and stretch. It's about building a strong and powerful body from the center outward.

Yoga requires a strong physical foundation. Much has been made of its spiritual benefits ‑- and rightfully so ‑- but according to yoga specialist Kristin McGee, star of four MTV mind-and-body videos including MTV Power Yoga, it has many body-firming benefits as well. "One big focus of any yoga practice should be finding and strengthening the core muscles of your abdomen and lower back," she explains. "Good posture, stability, ease of movement ‑- all these originate from the body's center."