Call me a purist, but I like my yoga [0] straight, no chaser.

I trust ancient postures and practices [0] that are based on balance and the proper alignment of the body. That's why I'm skeptical whenever yoga gets refashioned according to current trends at the gym. I'm not convinced that yoga needs a modern-day spin.

Personally, I'm about as inclined to sign up for a Yoga Boxing class as I am to mix a bottle of fine wine with a can of soda pop. That said, I have a friend who swears by her Yogalites (yoga + Pilates [0]) class.

I admit that I'm hyper-conservative on this issue. I'm so buttoned-down, in fact, that I'm even a little wary of wood blocks and other standard yoga props [0].

So my old-school attitude caused to wince when I read about a new Buff Yoga [1] class at a popular Manhattan gym [2]. The class incorporates candy-colored dumbbells with traditional poses. The course descriptions goes like this:

Get buff in this class that fuses strength training and core abdominal work with traditional yoga practices.

I'm sure this class is perfect for the yogis who are aspiring to build bigger biceps. It might also be the natural evolution of ancient postures, and possibly improve them. My prejudices on this probably mean I'll never benefit from the latest variations of yoga.

Nonetheless, I'll stick to my simple (and some may say boring) practice, which requires no more than a sticky mat [2] and a good teacher — as far as I'm concerned, yoga and dumbbells don't mix.

Photo credit: The New York Times