People use the words mindfulness and meditation interchangeably all the time.

Good news: They’re not the same thing.

Bad news: They share enough similarities that it’s incredibly easy to confuse them.

Understanding the difference changes what you’re actually trying to accomplish—not just when you sit down to meditate, but every time you step onto your yoga mat or move through your day.

Think of it this way:

I’m a 6-foot-6 yogi, and as strong as my core is from Boat Pose, as many Chaturangas as I do, and even as often as I strength train, I’m liable to throw out my back at any given moment.

Lower back pain is rarely just “one thing.” It’s usually a combination of habits, mechanics, strength imbalances, and sometimes plain bad luck. Let’s take a look at some of the most common complaints behind lower back issues.

Here are a few poses and exercises to help during your next flare-up.

If you’ve been to a yoga class, there’s a good chance you’ve heard your teacher say something like “inhale to lift, exhale to fold.” Maybe you’ve been guided through a deep sigh, or a few moments of stillness where the only instruction was to breathe. That’s pranayama in action, even if you didn’t realize it.

Pranayama is the yogic practice of intentional breathwork, and while it might sound intimidating, at its heart, it’s just learning how to use the breath you already have. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools yoga offers not just for your practice on the mat, but for your life beyond it.

Over the centuries, various styles of yoga have developed, each with its unique characteristics and approaches. It can be a little intimidating trying to figure out what’s what and what works best for you, so let’s talk a little about the types of yoga, how long they’ve been around, who’s to credit, and how their popularity compares to the others.