If you have taken a yoga class, what was your main motivation for trying it? Is it the same today? (By the way, if you have practiced yoga within the past 6 months, you are considered a practitioner.)

I sought out yoga almost 20 years ago to help me with back pain and work stress; today those have taken a back seat to overall health and wellness as a motivator, as well as a sense of connection to life and self (spiritual and personal development).

I just read a “Yoga in the World“ study conducted by ©Yoga Alliance in 2022, and want to share part of it with you. The study sought to track yoga trends around the globe, as well as public perception and barriers that prevent individuals from practicing yoga.

In the study practitioners were asked “Which of the following reasons motivated you to start practicing yoga? Select all that apply.” Here are the reasons listed in the US, ranked by most cited to least:

51% Stress relief / reduction

46% Flexibility

45% Improve overall health

34% General fitness / conditioning

29% Personal development

27% Spiritual development

25% Weight Loss

24% Physical Therapy

I thought it was interesting that in 2016 Flexibility was the top motivator for U.S. practitioners. It seems that either world developments have increased stress, or people are more aware of yoga’s ability to help relieve it (or maybe both).

Whatever your reasons, I do hope that you find a way to practice as 2023 winds down, and we set our sights on 2024.

Be Well,

Eva