A recent article in the New York Times called "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body":
We are doing everything we can these days to make yoga more hard core. "Hot" yoga, "power" yoga, etc. Come on people! Yoga is NOT hardcore. Rock climbing is hardcore-- kayaking, skiing , football, skateboarding.
Is yoga dangerous?
One of the main reasons I first started attending classes way back in 2001 was that I needed my own "thing". I was looking for some sort of physical practice I could call my own. I was in my early twenties, supple and stretchy already by nature, and yoga was the most un-intimidating "sport" I could put my finger on. It didn't require expensive harnesses and ropes, a boat, or a boy to lead the way.
The only thing I have found to be afraid of in my yoga practice is my own mind.
Can you hurt yourself in yoga? Of course. A great teacher, an experienced teacher, can help to show you how to avoid injuries. But always in your yoga practice, it is you hurting yourself, not something yoga has done to you. You control every factor when you are on your mat. If you injure yourself in your practice, it's because you aren't listening to your body, you aren't keeping your breath smooth and even, you aren't staying focused. If your practice continues to be about these things, this calmness and focus, then you can keep your ego at bay and you are very, very unlikely to injure yourself.
So don't be scared, get on your mat. And if it isn't extreme enough, go base jumping.
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