American Yoga Market Is $2.95 Billion Strong and Growing
Americans spend $2.95 billion per year on yoga classes and products, according to the second annual “Yoga in America” survey, sponsored by Yoga Journal. The study reported that 16.5 million Americans, about 7.5% of the adult population, now practice yoga.
Interestingly, 18- to 24-year-olds are the fastest-growing age group. Participants in this bracket increased by 46% in only 1 year. The growth trend for yoga across age groups is likely to continue. One in seven nonpractitioners told survey takers that they intend to try yoga within the next 12 months.
John Abbott, president and chief executive officer of Yoga Journal, says, “That the number of yoga practitioners has grown so strongly in the last 10 years shows that yoga is not a passing fad but a genuine cultural phenomenon and an integral part of the wellness trend in this country.”
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
