Why More and More American Women Are Turning to Yoga

Yoga, the ancient holistic wellness system has taken the US by storm. The practice has boomed into a $27-billion-dollar industry in the country with more than 20 million practitioners, 83 percent of them women. The fast-paced American lifestyle does not allow people to take time out of their busy work schedules and relax their bodies and minds. This race to get ahead leaves people physically and mentally exhausted, leading to many medical and psychological problems.

In order to prevent burnout, people are turning to yoga, which gives serenity of mind along with a healthy body. One key reason for its popularity is the ease of practicing without equipment requirements. It does not take up much time as it can be adjusted according to one’s lifestyle and schedule. Your goal could be anything – to lose weight, build muscle, increase flexibility, or focus on mindfulness – yoga seems to be a magical blanket solution to reach these goals. Regular practice of the art is linked to health benefits that go beyond physical fitness, including a reduction in blood pressure and blood sugar. Almost 86% of people who practice yoga say they have a strong sense of mental clarity compared to 77% of people who don’t. Yoga, that easy-going meditative process to liven up the self, is holding center stage today in big corporate establishments. One can see yoga being an important pivot of’ employee engagement programs in Corporate America. Even tech giants like Google offer mindfulness and meditation courses to help employees gain more self-awareness and tap into their creativity.

Yoga is more popular among females as they tend to be extra conscious about their bodies as compared to men. According to a survey, 36 million Americans practice yoga, and between 2012 and 2016, the number of Americans doing yoga grew by 50%. Around 72% of the practitioners are women, with flexibility and stress relief being the most popular reason for taking up the practice. Yoga’s innate ability to calm the mind is becoming ever more relevant in this digital age amidst a raging pandemic where stress seems to follow wherever you go. One of the major draws for women to yoga is the health benefits it brings, as the entire body can benefit from the practice of yoga. Further, it improves the reproductive system’s efficiency, with the organs and pelvic area benefiting greatly from certain asanas and postures that help in increasing blood circulation. Yoga is an overall solution to these multiple problems as it makes it easier for women to overcome these health barriers at ease.

In the present competitive world, women sometimes do not seek a physical but a spiritual solution in this ancient practice. They feel stressed out, juggling various roles. Most of the illnesses we suffer are because our mind is unwell and not at rest. The connection between the mind and the body cannot be denied and, if ignored, can cause severe problems in the day-to-day functioning of our body. Yoga helps clear your mind after a long day and provides you with a safe space for meditation. The amazing thing about women’s yoga is that all of these problems find their answer in the daily practice of yoga.

In a nutshell, the benefits of yoga, mainly for women, can be listed below: