I have written before on the subject of my concerns about extra-large yoga classes that proceed at a fast pace. In my opinion, most injuries occur due to people pushing themselves to keep up (often in an overheated environment) while maintaining incorrect postures.

It is for this reason that I wanted to share with you the best yoga class I have ever attended. Taught by Rachel at Semperviva Sea Centre (Granville Island), this Vinyasa (Power Yoga) class was by far the best instructed class I’ve seen. Besides being bubbly, humorous, and incredibly knowledgeable, Rachel repeatedly went around the class fixing people’s postures and ensuring that nobody was straining or stressing vulnerable structures.

In addition to this, she surveyed the class before it started inquiring as to what everyone’s injuries or weaknesses were. As I have the knees of an 80 year old (too many kilometers of breaststroke swum in my competitive days), she made sure to reinforce proper knee technique to avoid unnecessary strain.

I left that class sweatier and more exhausted than I can remember, and without any knee pain or frustration at not being able to hold certain poses. I encourage you to check out Rachel’s Hatha and Vinyasa classes at the Granville Island Semperviva location. She gets this Comox Valley Chiropractor‘s seal of approval!