The origins of yoga can be traced back to Northern India more than 5,000 years ago. Vedic yoga is generally regarded as the oldest style of yoga and is alternatively referred to as archaic yoga and, more simply, classic yoga. Modern practitioners of yoga enjoy a wide range of physical and mental benefits, ranging from increased flexibility, muscle strength, and energy to lower levels of stress and anxiety.
The American yogic community increased by 63.8 percent between 2010 and 2021. By the end of 2022, approximately 10 percent of the adult population, or 34.4 million individuals, practiced yoga regularly. For context, this places yoga ahead of mainstream sports such as golf in terms of the overall engagement.
An additional 20 percent of the population has tried yoga at least one time. Recent trends suggest the growth of yoga is not slowing down, with 15 percent of the population practicing yoga during the last six months of 2022 and participation leaping by 65 percent between 2016 and 2020.
Yoga is popular among women, particularly women between the ages of 30 and 49 years. Yoga provides women with a depth of health benefits, including enhanced heart health and other benefits that can help address symptoms of menopause. That said, about three in 10 yoga practitioners are male. Furthermore, yoga became recognized as the single most commonly implemented health practice by American adults in 2017. Complementary growth has been observed in related areas of practice, such as meditation.
The prevalence of yoga in the United States can be appreciated from a business perspective. There are an estimated 7,000 yoga studios located throughout the United States. A study by IBISWorld suggests that there are far more studios in the US, though a segment of the 40,582 facilities reported by IBISWorld only offer pilates.
These studios, along with other facilities and programs, are led by an estimated 100,000 yoga instructors who have registered with the Yoga Alliance, the world’s largest non-profit organization representing the interest of the yoga community. Yoga instructors earn nearly $30 an hour on average and can make up to $100,000 annually. The global yoga industry, meanwhile, has a market size approaching $90 billion and is powered by approximately 300 million practitioners around the world.
When it comes to the most prevalent styles of yoga in the United States, hot yoga ranks as the most common. Hot yoga was developed in the 1970s. The general concept involves the completion of several yoga poses in a room held at a temperature of roughly 105 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as a 40 percent humidity level. The increased heat and humidity drive up the heart rate, allowing for a rigorous, full-body workout.
Hot yoga is ideal for burning calories, optimizing flexibility, and increasing metabolic functions, among other benefits. That said, the relatively intense conditions of a hot yoga session can pose a physical challenge to some practitioners. Individuals should discuss the safest ways to go about hot yoga with a doctor and knowledgeable yoga instructor.
Other popular styles of yoga in the US include hatha yoga, ashtanga yoga, and vinyasa yoga, to name only a few.
