Americans Love Yoga, Especially Women & High-Earners, CDC Finds

Roughly 1 in 6 Americans practice yoga, according to new data from the CDC that sheds light on the wellness modality’s rising popularity

Yoga has had the greatest rise as a complementary health approach in the past two decades, with women twice as likely as men to participate in the ancient practice, according to a new data brief from the CDC that sheds light on who practices yoga — and why.

Using data from the 2022 NHIS, a survey conducted throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics, authors Nazik Elgaddal and Julie D. Weeks found that 16.9% of adults practiced yoga in the 12-month period studied.

Participation percentages were highest among women ages 18-44, Asian adults (22.5% compared to 19.3% of those white, non-Hispanic) and those with family incomes at 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or more (23.0% vs 10.4% among adults with family incomes less than 200% of the FPL).

Women were more than twice as likely to practice yoga as males (23.3% vs. 10.3%, respectively). However, among adults who practiced yoga to restore overall health ( 80.0%) there wasn’t a significant difference observed between men and women.

The age-adjusted percentage of adults who practiced yoga to treat or manage pain was 28.8%, with men (31.8%) more likely than women (27.5%) to practice yoga to treat or manage pain.

As for the meditation component, the findings revealed women (59.3%) were more likely than men (52.9%) to practice meditation as part of their yoga practice, with Asian (56.7%) and white (54.0%) adults less likely than “other and multiple races” (70.8%), Black (70.7%) and Hispanic (66.8%) adults to practice meditation as part of yoga.

Beyond the Studio

The practice of yoga — blending breath with movement — isn’t just found in studios and on-demand classes but at music festivals, the outdoors and even the workplace . As the data shows, there is a correlation between yoga and income, which many in the yoga community have worked to address — either with free online yoga classes or at community-focused events, such as the library.

One hotspot for free beach yoga with a gorgeous view overlooking the Pacific Ocean – Sunset Cliffs Natural Park in San Diego — has yoga instructors currently battling the city of San Diego after a municipal code was revised that targets vending regulations, although the instructors maintain their classes are free of charge.

Yoga Franchises Boom

Beyond serene landscapes, yoga has become an emerging franchise business, supported by the increased interest in low-impact fitness .

Boutique fitness and wellness franchisor Xponential Fitness counts YogaSix as its yoga staple within its portfolio of brands — with the franchise nabbing the #1 spot in the yoga category on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list . Earlier this year, YogaSix, which offers heated and non-heated yoga classes, boot camp-style fitness classes and meditation, opened its 200th studio .

CorePower Yoga , which offers traditional yoga classes along with heated, strength training and stretching-focused class types, counts over 220 locations across the U.S.

Functional fitness franchise F45 Training is also invested in yoga, marrying it with Pilates in the form of FS8 , a 50-minute circuit concept which opened its flagship location in Austin, Texas. Additional studio openings in the U.S. are planned along with master franchise agreements to take FS8 into the U.K., Europe and South Korea.

“It’s no secret that the Pilates and yoga categories have experienced remarkable growth as consumer interest in these modalities has grown,” F45 chief operating officer Ryan Mayes has told Athletech News. “These categories are also quite fragmented, which creates a compelling opportunity for us to grow market share through two distinct and proven brands.”

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