In March, 2015, USA Today came out with an article about yoga and how it has grown in the last few decades. It showed a recent survey that states that in 2012, 10% of adults and 3% of children had practiced yoga. A decade earlier, only 5% of adults and 2% of children were participating. A different study showed that 24 million adults in the United States were practicing yoga in 2013, which is about as popular as golf! While it is a great sign that yoga is becoming more and more popular, it is starting to show not only in the economy but in the lives of those practicing yoga as well.
Growth
There are many signs that yoga has been growing rapidly, both good and bad. The Wall Street Journal has reported that some yoga classes are so crowded that the peaceful yogis are getting into physical fights over mat space. On the other side, popular clothing store, Lululemon has begun opening stores dedicated to men’s yoga clothing. Books on yoga are flying off the shelves and schools from all over the country are teaching yoga in gym classes.
Why Now?
In the USA Today article, they state that one of the major reasons yoga has become so popular in the last couple of decades is because there is more access to the activity. There are DVD’s and classes galore. You can buy books on yoga and you can even get yoga classes on demand on some cable networks. It also helps that it has a lot of celebrities claiming to practice yoga to stay in shape.
Research
One of the biggest reasons that yoga has become what it is today is because there is a lot more research and studies on the subject. Studies have shown that it helps with weight loss and mental health issues, like anxiety and stress, as well as pain and heart health. The studies have helped yoga so much that medicare has started to cover cardiac rehabilitation programs that include yoga in its program. This is helping get a lot of people off the couch and starting on a path that can help them with their health in the long run.
Fitness
While yoga is a low impact activity, it does still have fitness benefits. Practicing yoga helps strengthen your muscles so that you can eventually do more strenuous activity. It also helps with your balance which is a great thing for the elderly who have trouble with that. The great thing about yoga is that it doesn’t matter if you lose weight as long as you are getting up off of the couch and doing some physical activity. It is a great way to center yourself and reduce stress and it has a very calming influence on your body.
No matter what the reason for starting yoga, it is a great decision. If you are looking to join a yoga class or two, contact us to find out more information on our class schedule.
