Yoga in The World

A new Yoga Alliance study examines public perception and trends regarding the practice of yoga in 10 countries around the world. Here are the key findings

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The times are a changin’, it seems. In 2016, the primary driver for people taking up yoga was ‘flexibility’ but fast forward to 2022, and practitioners now cite ‘stress release’ as the top motivator in starting their practice — highlighting the current state of the global mental health and loneliness epidemic.

That’s according to the findings of a Yoga Alliance study from the USA entitled ‘Yoga in the World’. Healthcare was another significant motivator. Among respondents in the US, some 49% of practitioners and 37% of the general public stated that a medical professional had recommended yoga to them in order to prevent or improve health conditions.

Other countries surveyed include the UK, Brazil, Germany, Chile, China, India, Kenya, Nigeria and the UAE. Teachers and studio owners were also surveyed in the US, UK, Brazil and Germany.

Practitioners from the UK, as well as Germany, the US, China, Kenya, and Nigeria all stated that relieving stress was the top reason that motivated them to commence yoga. Practitioners from Brazil, India, the UAE, and Chile said that improving overall health was the primary reason.

There’s no doubt that yoga is growing in popularity as a result. Again, in the US, an estimated 38.4 million Americans practiced yoga in 2022, up from 36.7 million in 2016, while spending on this ‘industry’ surged by more than $21 billion. The top items practitioners are spending their money on include yoga props (mats, straps etc.), yoga drop-in classes and other yoga lifestyle products (clothes, incense etc).

“This corroborates focus group findings that practitioners view yoga as a lifestyle they buy into and not just an activity,” the report noted.