Yoga has something for everyone, which may explain why its popularity has grown in recent years.

"I think everyone can do yoga and the sooner they try it, the sooner they'll feel the benefits," says Chantal O'Sullivan, who owns Shanti Yoga in Tsawwassen.

O'Sullivan started practicing yoga as a university student and says she fell in love with it from the first class.

"I just floated out of that class."

She says she was attracted to yoga for the element of relaxation, but soon found the ancient practice can offer much more.

Regular yoga sessions can help strengthen, tone and stretch muscles, says Michael Rudd, owner of Ladner's Open Space Yoga, and improve flexibility.

"It's a good balance for everything else we've got going on in our lives."

Rudd had his first yoga experiences at a young age.

He remembers going through different poses with his mother in her living room.

At that time it was just playing, he says, but when he tried it again as an adult, he was hooked.

"It was an instant connection."

Rudd, who used to work as a graphic designer, says years spent at a computer began to take a toll on his body.

Yoga helped reverse all that and taught him to "breathe properly again."

"It was a huge balance for me."

Jodi Stokes Dickinson, who opened Bikram Yoga South Delta in Tsawwassen last year, says she also started practicing yoga as a way to balance her active lifestyle.

She, too, was hooked right away.

"After my first class, there was a sense of euphoria."

After practicing for several years, she decided to make it a career choice as well and took a nine-week intensive training program in California.

Bikram yoga is a practice designed by Bikram Choudhury.

It's a series of hand-picked poses and breathing exercises that are done in a room heated to over 100 degrees with humidity of more than 30 per cent.

The warm and humid condition in the room helps facilitate deeper, safer stretches, Stokes Dickinson says, although it can take a few classes to get used to the heat.

In addition to those looking for relaxation and a little balance to the stresses of everyday life, yoga can also help with other athletic endeavours.

"It makes everything we do easier, from running to snowboarding," says O'Sullivan. "Yoga is a great complement to sports, and it helps us prevent injuries."

It's also adaptable and instructors can always suggest modified poses for people with injuries or mobility issues.