Yoga can help increase your strength, balance and flexibility -- and decrease stress.

But while many people are reaping the benefits of yoga, others are stretching themselves too far.

Dr. Carla Cupido has treated patients who have injured themselves from yoga.

"Shoulder injuries, lower back injuries, wrist injuries, knee injuries," she says.

She says while many injuries happen when people push themselves too hard, finding a qualified instructor is also key.

"That's the something that I think is missing now," says Cupido. "I think the anatomy and the bio-mechanics and a lot of the yoga teacher training courses aren't adequate."

Shatki Mhi has trained yoga instructors for years. When it comes to finding a good instructor, she says there are a few things to look for:

  • A teacher should never be forceful, pushing or pulling students into poses. They should only direct them.
  • A teacher should move around the class to ensure students are doing poses correctly, not practicing yoga at the front for the entire class
  • Students should not feel pressure from the teacher or a sense of competition. They should stay in poses as long as they're comfortable

"If you felt that you actually had to drag yourself through the postures and you never had the time to relax and let go in the postures, that's not a class for you," says Mhi.

Jessie Enright learned firsthand how easily one can get hurt doing yoga. He suffered an injury early on in his practice. Now a yoga instructor himself, Jesse says the experience has changed the way he teaches.

"Just to be very strict with people for their own good, you know, so they don't get injured like I did, because my teachers, I'm not sure if they knew what was happening, and ignored it," says Enright.

Get referrals from friends or try out different classes to find the one that feels best for you. And above all, take things slowly to avoid injuries.

"When you jump too fast, and you move too fast, you will actually end up with injuries if you don't know what you're doing," says Mhi.

Dr. Carla Cupido and Jesse Enright are having an upcoming yoga workshop at UBC on Sunday, January 25, 2009. The session will cover the lower back and core. For more information, follow this link to www.ubccamps.ca.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low