London loves yoga

Data from events and technology firm Eventbrite reveals that London is the new capital of yoga. In 2018 alone, yoga teachers across London hosted more than 2,000 events on the platform – more than in both New York (1,100 events) and LA (700 events) combined. Londoners say the practice helps them to release tension and feel happy.

And London isn’t the only UK city following a path of zen. Data from the site reports a total of more than 6,000 yoga events were held across the country in 2018 – nearly triple the number of events compared to 2016 where just over 2,000 were staged. The best news is that, globally, the picture is even greater, highlighting the rapid take-up of yoga in recent years. Since the start of 2014, more than 120,000 yoga events have been listed on Eventbrite by yoga fans around the world prompting over three million tickets to be issued.

Just over 3,000 yoga events were listed globally on the platform in 2014, rising to over 40,000 in 2018 - a massive 1,400% growth over the period.

What’s more, there’s now a yoga event for just about  everyone, as seasoned yogis and beginners seek out different themed classes to fulfill their passions and hobbies. Specialist classes now range from animal yoga for pet lovers, to reggae yoga for music fans, there’s even beer, rave and art yoga for the more experimental.

“The popularity of yoga is continuing to grow year-on-year and our data shows that the demand for new and unusual yoga events is rising among both avid yogis and people who are totally new to it,” said Paul McCrudden, head of marketing at Eventbrite, UK and Ireland. “Over the last five years the number of events on the site dedicated to the practice has risen significantly and we now have a class to suit everyone – who knew that yoga with goats would prove such a hit!”