Hatha yoga has many health benefits including stress reduction, weight control, increased flexibility and strength. But to think of this spiritual discipline as merely physical training is a common Western mistake that I realized I was making when I felt forced to choose between yoga and cooking. The healthier approach is to combine the two.

"Yoga once or twice a week for an hour or so is certainly better than no yoga at all," write Georg Feuerstein and Larry Payne in their excellent, if unfortunately titled, guidebook Yoga for Dummies. "But you unlock the real potency of yoga when you adopt it as a lifestyle. This means living yoga. . .(and) applying the wisdom of yoga to everyday life."

For me, applying yoga to cooking requires a little preparation. I change into comfy clothes, kick off my shoes (or wear wool clogs if it's cold), drink a glass of water and put on soothing music.

Then I'm ready to practice kitchen yoga. The first step is "sink centering." I wash and dry my hands, then rest them lightly on the edge of the sink while focusing on the three central elements of hatha yoga:

1. Posture. Good alignment reduces the stress on muscles and joints and allows deep, full breathing. Proper standing posture means keeping the weight equally distributed on both feet, relaxing the shoulders and arms, slightly tucking the pelvis and extending the spine so that the head floats gently upward on the neck.
2. Breathing. Yogis have known for centuries--and modern studies confirm--that breathing provides a powerful link between body and mind, uniting them and helping establish a state of physiological calm. Proper breathing expands the abdomen, allowing the deepest part of the lungs to fill. To practice "belly breathing," I place both hands on my abdomen, with index fingers touching each other near the navel. I inhale deeply, so that my abdomen expands and pushes against my hands. On exhale, I tighten my abdominal muscles to push air out of the bottom of my lungs.
3. Attitude. Yoga seeks to cultivate a positive mind-set characterized by two qualities--awareness, which means being consciously present in the moment, and relaxation, which means releasing unnecessary tension. I continue belly breathing for a few minutes and do a quick scan of my body, using my breath to help release any tension I feel.