Over the past few years, yoga has become something of a New York phenomenon, simultaneously synonymous with Alphabet City hippies, college students and rich housewives on the Upper East Side. Yoga, a traditional physical and mental meditative discipline that originates in India and has its roots in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, often gets dismissed as a sort of dainty pastime. But it is actually one physical discipline where a skinny girl can do more challenging moves than a big, buff guy. Practising yoga is supposed to lead to a greater union between the mind, body and spirit to attain self-enlightenment, and this is what I find most attractive about it. For me, an essential part of Islam is the way it connects spirituality with everyday actions, so that religion isn’t relegated to the four walls of a masjid during prayer but becomes something that every individual takes with them in their daily lives. My first experience with yoga was two summers ago when my sister’s roommate suggested we try some free yoga classes, of which there are several in the city. “Why not?” I thought. I’m always up for a new adventure.