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The practice of yoga can seem as if it’s a person experience, one which’s typically confined to a 24-by-72-inch mat. And, to some extent, it’s. We unroll our mats and settle into our own unique rhythm of movement and stillness. But recently released yoga statistics remind us that the practice extends far beyond our own experiences.

Yoga Alliance collected survey information from greater than 11,000 yoga practitioners, teachers, studio owners, and the general public at large across 10 countries in a yearlong research project. The nonprofit association sets standards amongst yoga teachers and teacher trainings who register with it.

The survey, named “Yoga within the World,” was initiated to explore the preferences and demographics of yoga goers, teachers, and studio owners. In keeping with a press release, the study intended “to benchmark and track not only yoga trends across the globe, but public perception and barriers that prevent individuals from practicing yoga.”

It does exactly that by providing a glimpse into the who, what, why, and where of our collective practice. “It’s a baseline, a measuring tool against which we will compare numbers next time” says Toni Carey, head of strategic communications at Yoga Alliance. “There’s work to do. And it’s not going to alter overnight. However it starts with awareness.”

Following is a have a look at the numbers, in addition to among the insights behind the numbers, in order that we will proceed to know how lots of us come to the identical practice with different experiences—and what we will do to make the practice of yoga more equitable.

What the Latest Yoga Statistics Reveal About Us

An increasing variety of Americans are understanding the advantages of a yoga practice. (Illustration: Yoga Alliance)

More of Us Are Practicing Yoga

Survey Says: In 2022, 38.4 million Americans, or 11 percent of the population, practiced yoga. That’s significantly greater than the 36.7 million who had unrolled their mats in 2016, the previous yr through which Yoga Alliance collected data.

Context: More people practicing yoga is unequivocally good. The query we’d like to proceed to explore, though, is whether or not everyone who desires to practice yoga can access it.

Why We Practice Yoga

Survey Says: An awesome variety of respondents in Chile, Germany, Kenya, Nigeria, United Kingdom, and the U.S. cited “stress release” as a primary reason for practicing yoga. The previous survey in 2016, which was only conducted within the U.S., named “flexibility” as probably the most common incentive to try yoga. It’s a reasonably stark contrast, which is fitting given the events of the last several years.

Context: Increasingly more of us are understanding the influence that slowing the breath and becoming aware of ourselves can exert on our emotional state.

The discharge of the study coincides with a recently published report on stress by the American Psychological Association, explains Dr. Gail Parker, a psychologist, certified yoga therapist, writer, and president of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance. Titled “Stress in America 2023,” the report concludes there may be “mounting evidence that our society is experiencing the psychological impacts of a collective trauma.”

The report confirms what we all know, which is that “the COVID-19 pandemic, global conflicts, racism and racial injustice, inflation, and climate-related disasters are all weighing on the collective consciousness of Americans.”

What the stats don’t disclose is how yoga helps us navigate turbulent emotions. Most of us can appreciate that yoga-stoned state we are inclined to experience after class. But we aren’t all the time taught that the very things we practice at school—slowing the breath, quieting the thoughts, becoming aware of where we’re holding tension—can be found to us at any moment.

Fairly than needing to chase that post-class experience by desperately racing back to the studio, we will learn easy methods to draw on the breath, the main target, and the notice outside of sophistication.

“As a psychologist, after I was introduced to yoga, especially to restorative yoga, it was very clear to me that this practice was a way into an individual’s awareness of self, not only on the physical level, but in every aspect of self,” says Dr. Parker.

Why We Don’t Practice Yoga

Survey Says: When respondents were asked what kept them from practicing yoga, the first reason cited was, “No time.”

Context: No surprise. But what lots of us still don’t realize is it’s now not mandatory to make a choice from an hour-long yoga class and nothing. In recent times, online yoga platforms have responded to the surge of interest in shorter practice options with an abundance of options, many within the 10- and 20-minute range. Although we would prefer an extended class, any yoga is best than no yoga.

Even pausing to practice a single pose with awareness and focus (as much as we will muster within the moment, anyhow) can change our experience of nearly all the things. That pose can take shape whilst you’re standing in line at the shop, doing dishes on the sink, or turning your camera off for a minute during a piece meeting.

We’re Practicing Yoga With Our Friends

Survey Says: Whereas many say we would like to try yoga, what actually prompts lots of us to follow through on taking class is attending with a friend.

Context: A number of the hesitation of trying something latest will be mitigated by not having to do it alone, says Carey.

So fairly than deliver that well-intentioned lecture about how someone would profit from yoga, consider inviting them to try a category with you (be sure that it’s a beginner-friendly class). Many yoga teachers anecdotally report seeing an increasing number of students attending all sorts of class in groups of two or more, especially within the evenings.

Perhaps yoga may help regulate our emotional state not only through our physical practice however the social connection we experience before, during, and after our practice.

A demographic breakdown of who practices yoga. (Illustration: Yoga Alliance)

We’re Not As Diverse As We Could Be…

Survey Says: Those that practice yoga within the U.S., U.K., and Germany are almost certainly to discover as female and white.

Context: There’s still an incredible amount of labor to be done when it comes to inclusivity and variety within the yoga space.

The numbers have been slowly heading somewhat in a greater direction, not less than within the U.S. Yoga practitioners who discover with underrepresented populations—the categories within the survey include Black, Hispanic, and Asian—are inside several points of the population percentages reported within the US Census Bureau for 2022.

Those that discover as transgender comprise .88 percent of survey respondents, in comparison with recent Census Bureau polling that placed the national average at one percent of the U.S. population. (In keeping with Yoga Alliance, “While there’s no consensus within the research community on probably the most inclusive approach to inquire about Gender Identity in demographic collection, commonly used terms like Male, Female, Transgender, and Another way improve upon historical data collection terminology.”)

Nonetheless, that data doesn’t all the time translate to our class experience. Some respondents within the survey’s focus groups expressed that they were “keenly aware that they were the one person of color and/or male in the category.”

A part of the issue in working toward inclusivity and variety is it could be overwhelming and seemingly unattainable to correct the situation at large. “I believe it’s really necessary for studio owners to attempt to be representative of the communities where we live,” says yoga teacher Pranidhi Varshney, who founded Yoga Shala West in West Los Angeles. “Let’s deal with serving the community that we’re in.”

The odds of yoga teachers amongst underrepresented populations reveal drastic inequities and creates far-reaching effects. (Illustration: Yoga Alliance)

…And We Need Even More Diversity Amongst Yoga Teachers & Studio Owners

Survey Says: Those percentages of underrepresented populations within the yoga space change drastically after we have a look at yoga teachers and studio owners within the U.S. The proportion who discover as Black, Hispanic, or Asian collapses to almost single digits. Zero percent of the teacher and studio owner respondents discover as transgender.

Context: “The survey revealed distinct demographic inequities throughout the yoga community,” explains Carey. “It lends context to something that lots of people within the yoga community have been talking about, yelling about, screaming about for a very very long time. You may see it within the numbers.”

The effect is felt not only by would-be yoga teachers who should not have access to training but students who cannot find yoga teachers who resemble themselves. Walking right into a class where nobody looks like us will be intimidating, says yoga teacher and former social employee Stephanie Acosta.

Some respondents in the main target groups noted that they’d “intentionally looked for a yoga teacher with the identical race/ethnicity,” in line with Yoga Alliance. That feeling of isolation may relate to gender identity, body shape, age, and countless other scenarios.

The demographics of yoga studio owners reveal the necessity for nuanced conversations around creating access to yoga in all communities. (Illustration: Yoga Alliance)

Although simply because we don’t see diverse teachers in studios doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t teaching yoga, explains Jana Long, the chief director of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance. Long has practiced yoga for 50 years and led classes for close to twenty years. Her experience is that Black yoga teachers often teach in places which might be accessible to the people in communities where they live, comparable to churches, recreation and senior centers, schools, and houses.

The conversations which were initiated lately around creating circumstances that allow for more relatable role models in classes and yoga teacher trainings have to proceed. And so they are nuanced. “How do these communities want to have interaction with the practice? How does it fit into their cultural context and their histories? Quite a lot of that may only be uncovered through dialogue,” says Carey.

Most of Us Have Practiced Yoga at Home

Survey Says: When asked, “Through which of those venues have you ever ever practiced yoga,” nearly 75 percent of respondents within the U.S. conveyed that they’ve practiced at home. The second mostly cited location were studios.

Context: Practicing at home brings certain benefits. There’s no commute, possibly no need to alter attire, and, for a few of us, no need for childcare.

The choice of where to practice is made by some out of convenience, but others are forced into that option out of economic constraints. Although in-person, donation-based classes exist, what isn’t all the time apparent to well-intended teachers and studios is that putting one donation-based class on the schedule isn’t sufficient. Sometimes there are other restrictions beyond the fee of sophistication.

Noemi Nunez, a bilingual yoga teacher in Denver, Colorado, has studied the situation in her community to know potential reasons for lack of participation amongst underserved populations. In consequence, she has began writing grants, in partnership with local organizations, which secure the financial support needed. Nunez can provide not only free classes but mats, props, transportation, and childcare.

Varshney, who instituted a sliding scale rate at her shala, reminds us that there are also unexpected places where we will practice and teach yoga that aren’t studios.

Most Yoga Teachers Depend on Yoga as Their Primary Source of Income

Survey Says: Within the U.S., nearly 75 percent of the teachers surveyed indicated that leading yoga classes is their primary source of income.

Context: Most yoga teachers are contracted at a flat rate for the hour spent instructing a category.
Compensation for an hour-long yoga class varies dramatically depending on teaching experience and other considerations. Although the survey didn’t indicate income, compensation for a studio or gym class typically falls between $20 and $50.

That rate doesn’t include the time spent commuting, answering students’ questions, preparing the sequence for sophistication, and making a playlist. There’s also no compensation for transportation, music streaming platforms, or continued training.

Many full-time teachers consider a full schedule to be roughly 15 classes every week. Newer yoga teachers are inclined to enthusiastically tackle more classes every week than is sustainable, and eventually lessen their schedule—and their take-home pay—to reflect reality. Do the mathematics and the challenge inherent in teaching yoga to the exclusion of some other work becomes apparent.

Acosta launched a GoFundMe campaign to finance her tuition. She later founded Yogis Unidos, a worldwide community of Latinx yoga teachers who support each other and raises funds for yoga teacher training scholarships. “I would like to pay it forward,” she says.

Many full-time yoga teachers complement their studio income with one-on-one yoga sessions, teaching at higher-paying corporations and resorts, leading workshops, retreats, or yoga teacher trainings. Those teachers will let you know it’s a hustle culture. And it’s exhausting.

“It’s so, so, so rare to depend on yoga as a livelihood without supplementing it in any way,” says Varshney. She only considers teaching to be a sustainable profession if you happen to are getting sponsorships and “becoming kind of celebrity status.”

The irony of this stress is just not lost on teachers and studio owners. Yet there are also implications for college kids. What can we lose when knowledgeable teachers with diverse backgrounds and experiences can now not afford to share their time and skills? What happens when those accountable for sharing yoga are unable to afford the time or tuition to further their studies?

Where Do We Go From Here?

It’s interesting to see trends and similarities amongst practitioners all over the world. It’s also sobering to be confronted with how much work stays before the practice of yoga becomes truly accessible and inclusive, something that many have been talking about and dealing toward for years.

Numbers can change but not from good intentions alone. Although there have been areas of progress, it’s past time for more of us to commit to creating change in our small corner of the world whilst we proceed to have interaction in a broader dialogue. This takes many shapes, including searching for out those whose work within the yoga space informs and inspires us, after which holding ourselves accountable for taking that information and bringing it into our yoga spaces. Conversation to be continued.