SOME FACTS FOR THE NATIONAL YOGA MONTH

Whether it’s saluting the sun first thing in the morning or unwinding after work with a bit of Downward Dog, Americans do love their yoga. Even on vacation, Americans are all about their Chaturangas: yoga is reportedly the third-most-popular vacation activity, topped only by sightseeing and beach-going!

Yoga: Good for the Country

All this is great news for the state of our collective health. Yoga is responsible for several mind-body benefits including flexibility, concentration, strength, and better sleep. Clearly, Yoga deserves some attention on the national level for the important role it plays in our lives.

For that, we have National Yoga Month. Celebrated every September, it’s a good time to renew your passion or, for newbies, investigate a new way to stay healthy and relaxed.

September is National Yoga Month

To get you in the ‘yoga frame of mind’ and help celebrate National Yoga Month, here are some fast yoga facts. Whether you’re hitting the mat for the first time or you’re a long-time fan of the practice, these facts can serve to inspire your passion.

Facts About Our National Love for Yoga

From Maine to Florida, California to the Pacific Northwest, people are donning their stretch pants, unfolding their mats, and literally getting down to business with yoga. Almost 40 million people (not including children) practice yoga in the U.S. That’s a figure that has almost doubled in five years!

As you might guess, almost three-quarters of yoga practitioners are women. But men and women alike seem to have at least a passing interest in yoga: more than one-third of Americans will try yoga in the coming year. Many of them are men: since 2012, 6 million more men have joined the ranks of yogaphiles.

Not only do we love Yoga, but we also love Yoga clothing, too. In 2012, the last year for which stats were available, Americans spent $2.23 billion on duds for yoga classes!

Facts About Yoga as a Way of Life

If you’re both yoga—and entrepreneurial-minded, you’ll be pleased to hear that yoga studios are among the fastest-growing industries in the United States.

In fact, there seems to be no limit to the number of studios needed to satisfy our national craving for yoga. In the five years leading up to 2017, revenue rose from $6.8 billion to $8.6 billion with no sign of a slowdown in sight.

There also seems to be a continuous supply of first-timers, which is good news for business, too. Of the nearly 16 million people practicing yoga in the U.S., only about 4 million of them have been doing yoga for more than five years.

But don’t let the ephemeral nature of yoga newbies scare you away from considering yoga as a way to earn a living. It’s been around for more than 5,000 years and for those who truly feel passionate about their daily dose of Pranayama, there are plenty of opportunities.

Those opportunities are partly due to the clientele who tend to practice yoga. They’re wealthier than the general population, with incomes starting at $75, 000. Almost a quarter of people who practice yoga earn six figures.

National Yoga Month: Awareness is Spreading!

Finally, yoga is part of our national consciousness—90% of Americans have heard of it, compared to only 70% in 2012. Maybe it’s due to Americans’ wider acceptance of alternative therapies. Or maybe it’s due to the proliferation of yoga studios, yoga classes, and yoga resources. Or maybe—just maybe—it’s due to National Yoga Month and all who help celebrate every September.

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