Or perhaps you will just wear out earlier in the day than last year or the year before. These lurking signals say it's time for you to try a yoga class.

In many ways yoga is the yin to skiing's yang (or is it the other way around?). Skiing tends to make muscles stronger and tighter; yoga can help stretch muscles and make them more subtle and less prone to injury. You often ski with cold muscles; doing yoga will warm them. You work muscles hard when skiing; they need to be stretched afterwards. Yoga is the ultimate cross training for skiers.

Julie Ness in Tahoe City told me, "Yoga is an excellent complement to skiing. It enhances performance by increasing one's strength and flexibility. In addition, yoga can help prevent injuries, especially in the knees and lower back. Yoga should be an integral part of every skiers' pre-season prep and in-season, weekly exercise regime."

So what is yoga and how can it help the winter athlete? Yoga is a series of postures and stretches that are performed while paying attention to one's breath. While the postures are combined in many different ways to get a full body workout, individual postures usually focus on several different muscle groups. And yoga can be aimed at the muscle groups that have the biggest impact on skiing: Hamstrings. Quads. Knees. Hip flexors. Lower back. Core. Shoulders.

In yoga class there is also a great deal of attention paid to breathing. Learning how to breathe consciously makes it easier to maintain your strength while cross-country skiing up a long hill, like the one in The Great Ski Race. Controlling your breath also helps you to focus, whether it is on a downhill run or in the half-pipe.

O.K., you say, yoga provides a good stretch and may strengthen my body, but why can't I just go to the gym? You can, but another reason to go to yoga class on a regular basis is that it is fun and relaxing. Usually the room is warm and your muscles get loosened as you gently stretch. The pace of yoga makes it relaxing and peaceful, and it is less likely that you will injure yourself than if you are in a gym. Often at the end of a long class I feel like a wet noodle...very relaxed, like after a massage. But the cost of yoga is much lower!

Many skiers and snowboarders who are not familiar with yoga may be intimidated by the funny-sounding postures. And there is always scuttlebutt about breath and asanas and people chanting Ommmm. This kind of stuff is just a little too new age for some, and some people figure they would feel out of place. But, yoga can be whatever you want it to be. Attend a class with an open mind and you will understand. You owe it to your mind and body to at least take a closer look, if you haven't already.

Many people go just for the workout and the stretch; others enjoy the relaxing, meditative feel of the process. People who give yoga a try find it provides both physical and mental benefits. Maybe your skiing will improve and you will enjoy it even more.

It's worth a try as we wait for snow.

Part II on yoga will follow soon.