Yoga exponents are being caught out by the activity's relaxing and low impact image with more than one in four injured during sessions.

    A failure to warm up and prepare adequately for the exercise has been identified as causing the surprising injury rate.

    The risks of yoga are contained in a sports injuries report to be released today.

    The research, commissioned by Medibank Private, found sports injuries cost the Australian community more than .8 billion in the past year. The medical bill was 0 million more than the previous year.

    Footballers were the most likely to be hurt and those aged between 18 and 24 were at greatest risk of breaking down.

    Sports physician Dr Peter Larkins said yoga was not inherently dangerous but the injury rate showed many participants were not doing it correctly.

    "You have to get the correct program and advice. There are a lot of stretching manoeuvres and maybe some are trying it at 38 thinking they are 18," he said.

    "Yoga has become the new aerobics and some people are getting it out of a book or video. Participants need to ensure that they don't overdo it, particularly when starting a new health and fitness regime."

    Nicole Walsh, the owner of Body Mind Life yoga studio, said she had not experienced the injury rate found in the survey.

    She said students of Bikram yoga complete warm up breathing and stretching exercises before progressing. The increased room temperature also made injuries less frequent.

    The report found 5.2 million injuries were incurred on Australian sporting fields and courts in the past 12 months requiring almost 25,000 hospital admissions and 250,000 emergency department presentations.

    An alarming 3.6m injuries were untreated.

    Ankle, foot and achilles tendon injuries are the most common accounting for 20 per cent of all sporting injuries.

    The warning from fitness experts to warm up and cool down had failed to reach the masses with only 38 per cent of survey respondents saying they regularly completed pre and post sport regimes.

    瑜珈的倡導者們被這項運動表面上輕松、低強度的特點所蒙蔽，其實在練習過程中，有超過1/4的瑜珈練習者受過傷。

    練習瑜珈之前沒有熱身、準備不充分被確認為是導致這個驚人的受傷比例的原因。

    今天公布的一份運動傷害報告中提到了瑜珈的危險性。

    私人健康保險公司委托進行的研究發現去年運動傷害給澳大利亞公眾帶來的損失超過18億美元，醫療賬單比前年多出3億美元。

    足球運動員是最易受傷的，年齡在18到24歲之間的人受傷的危險性最大。

    體育專科醫生彼得·拉金斯說瑜珈本身并不危險，受傷比例說明很多參與者沒有進行正確的練習。

    他說：“人們必須參加適當的課程，獲得正確的指導。瑜珈中有很多伸展動作，其中一些可能只適合18歲的人做，而有些38歲的人也在嘗試這些姿勢。”

    “瑜珈已經成為一種新型有氧運動，有些人從書本或錄像中學習瑜珈。練習者務必確保不要做得過火，特別是在開始一種全新的健身方法時。”

    “身體、心靈、生活”瑜珈練習室的主人尼科爾·沃爾什說她從沒有遇到過像調查中那么高的損傷比例。

    她說練習“熱瑜珈”的學生們在開始練習之前要完成呼吸和伸展熱身運動，逐漸升高的室溫也會減少傷害的發生。

    報告發現在過去12個月中，澳大利亞運動場館內發生了520萬起運動傷害事件，其中大約2萬5千起需要到醫院接受治療，緊急醫療處理了25萬件。

    令人擔憂的是還有360萬件不曾處理。

    腳踝，腳和腳后跟韌帶是最常受傷的部位，在所有運動損傷中占20%。

    健身專家提醒說大部分人沒有進行熱身和放松運動，只有38%的被調查者說他們通常在運動前后完成熱身和整理運動。