Its your girlfriends birthday or your first Christmas together, and you want to get her the best gift shes ever had. Gifts mean a lot to women. The right gift tells her youre thoughtful, observant, and you really understand her. The wrong one, however, can tell her just the opposite. Dont get stuck in her bad Boyfriends book of Records. Heres a list of the six worst gifts to give your girlfriend.

Exercise equipment. Nothing says, I think you could stand to lose weight like a Stairmaster. The same goes for a set of barbells, a Pilates instructional video, or a gym membership. Even if shes talked about getting fit, this kind of gift will make her wonder whether you like her body the way it is.

If you really would like to see her exercising more, lead by example. Join the gym yourself. Chances are, when she sees how great you look and feel, shell be inspired to join as well. You could also take up a physical activity you could do as a couple, such as cycling, jogging, or hiking. To increase the chances shell get into it, pick an activity shes expressed interest in before. It should also be one you can do relatively easily. Dont decide to take up sea kayaking if youre two hours drive from the ocean, for example, and dont pick one that you need a lot of expensive equipment to get started in.

Cookware. The subliminal message here is Get in the kitchen and make me some supper, woman! This is a bad gift even if shes expressed interest in cookingor if youd like her to. If you have a master chef for a girlfriend, its especially important to pass on this kind of gift. Its likely she has everything she needs already, and most high-level cooks are picky about their equipment.

If you really would like to encourage her to cook more, start with some positive reinforcement. Praise the meals she does cook. If you tell her you see her as a great cook already, shes more likely to take more of an interest in the culinary arts.

A vacuum cleaner. The same goes for feather dusters, mops, bottles of Pine-Sol, oven cleaner, Lemon-Scented Joy, and any other household cleaning products. These gifts tell her that you see her as more of a maid than a girlfriend.

A puppy. Animal gifts are tricky. Sure, puppies and kittens are adorablebut theyre also a lot of work. Food and vet bills can be expensive, and many pets require a change in lifestyle to take proper care of. For these reasons, its best not to surprise your girlfriend with a new pet.

part of the fun is choosing the pet yourself. If your girlfriend has told you she wants a dog or cat, offer to take her to the local animal rescue shelter instead and pay for the pet she picks.

Something you want for yourself. You know youve been tempted to buy her that subscription to Fly fishing magazine, new set of golf clubs, or Playstation II. Dont do it! Shell see through it instantly.

Jewellery. Jewellery has a great deal more meaning for most women than other gifts. If you give the right one, shell see it as a sign that youre the right guy for her. If you get it wrong, however, at best shell laugh about it with her friends for ages. At worst, she could see it as grounds for doubt about the relationship. If youre going to give her jewellery, youd better get it right the first time.

What makes giving jewellery so difficult is that every woman has distinct tastes. The jewellery you pick could be too chunky, too eccentric, too classic, too delicate, too cheap-looking or expensive-looking for her. Some women never wear gold, some never wear silver, and most women have a preference for certain precious stones over others. If you really do want to give her jewellery, casually take her into a few stores. See how she reacts to the merchandise. Make note of any pieces she especially likes. Then go back later to buy them.

Most women dont want practical gifts from their boyfriends. They want gifts that send a positive message about how you see them. A sparkling diamond bracelet tells her you see her as precious and beautiful. Elegant lingerie can tell her you see her as sexy and desirable. A book about something she finds fascinating tells her you take her interests seriously. However, its important to take her unique tastes into account before buying her any present. If you do, and if you follow our tips, you should be able to find her the perfect gift.

Janette Vince is managing director of http://www.thanksdarling.com a website full of great gift ideas whatever the occasion. For a range of interesting, novel and exciting gifts visit the website at http://www.thanksdarling.com.

yoga is at least about 5,000 years old. The hindus of the Indus valley civilization developed yoga as a practical device to unite the individual self with the Brahman, the universal self. It was codified about 2,000 years back into a system by Patanjali in his work Yoga Sutra.

His yoga, known as ashtanga Yoga (or eight-limbed yoga) came to be the authority on yogic practice. These eight limbs are to be practiced in sequence to achieve its spiritual end. In the modern age yoga came to be understood as Hatha yoga, which practices the third and fourth limbs of ashtanga Yoga - asanas and Pranayama.

hatha yoga, meaning sun-moon yoga, aims to unite the active and passing energies of the human beings. It harmonizes the body-mind relationship, and achieves a balance. The body becomes supple and strong. The mind relaxes and the stress eases. The internal systems, such as blood circulation, nervous system, digestive system and the endocrine system, are improved.

There are many systems of Hatha Yoga, such as ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Vini Yoga, Integral yoga, Sivananda yoga and Bikram yoga. Basically they hold postures that exercise the system. It is formulated by different teachers, giving importance to different aspects of hatha Yoga.

Bikram Choudhry, the founder of Bikram Yoga, was born in Kolkatta in 1946. He became a disciple of Bishnu Gosh, the brother of Paramahamsa Yogananda, at the age of four. His mastery of the hatha yoga technique was so good that he continuously won the Indian yoga championship, and retired undefeated at a very young age. Bikram started many training centers for yoga, on the direction of his master Bishnu Gosh. Later, he founded his own system of yoga known as Bikram Yoga.

Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 postures, done inside a heated room. The temperature is maintained at about 90 100o. This warms the body naturally, and the postures are easily accomplished. The series starts with standing postures, backward bends, forward bends and twists. Each posture is repeated twice. The full routine takes about 90 minutes.

Bikram has a school in Los angeles where teachers impart yoga practice. He also travels throughout America organizing workshops and seminars.

Yoga provides detailed information on Yoga, Bikram Yoga, hatha Yoga, pilates Yoga and more. Yoga is affiliated with Cheap Yoga Mats.