No Surprise to Us: Yoga Is on the Rise!
We love yoga. We love how it makes us feel. How it improves our focus. How it relaxes us. How it improves flexibility and strength. How it’s about a practice that you do — and isn’t about comparing yourself to others. And we really love how it quiets the mind. The world is a better place when we yoga, mostly because we’re in a better physical and mental state when we make time to do it.
And so it seems, America feels much of the same way we do. Just check out these yoga facts from the Yoga in America Study, conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance.
Yes! The number of people doing yoga increased to more than 36 million, up from 20.4 million in 2012 —- and how much those yogis spent on yoga classes, clothing, equipment and accessories went from $10 billion to $16 billion, over the past four years. Women make up 72 percent of those doing yoga, with the dudes down dogging at a growing rate. Thirty-four percent of Americans say they are likely to try yoga for the first time in the next 12 months. (Kudos to you for bringing friends to class, FBGs!)
A few other fun facts we love? (We mean, who doesn’t love reading good things about themselves?)
“Beyond yoga’s increasing popularity, what’s fascinating is the data shows that those who practice and teach yoga have measurably better perceptions of their individual strength, balance, dexterity and mental clarity versus non-practitioners,” says Yoga Alliance Executive Director and COO Barbara Dobberthien. “Practitioners are also much more likely to be involved in a variety of other forms of exercise, as well as focused on sustainable living and eating.”
So, um, yeah, we take all of these yoga facts to mean: doing yoga rocks. If you do yoga, keep doing it! And if you’ve been wanting to try yoga, now is the time! Check out our yoga beginner guides here and here.
What yoga facts most surprised you? I have to say, I thought there were more yoga-only peeps out there. Cool to see that almost 80 percent of people doing yoga are practicing in addition to other fit pursuits! —Jenn