Veggie Blog

A few years ago a new yoga studio opening in an American shopping center would have been unusual. Today it hardly raises an eyebrow. The old version of this post told the story of one studio owner and then said that mainstream medicine had adopted yoga as a treatment for many illnesses. That second claim goes further than the research does, so I have rewritten the post around the history of yoga in the United States and what the numbers actually show.

When did yoga arrive in the United States?

Earlier than most people think. The old post said it arrived at the beginning of the 20th century, but the usual starting point is September 1893, when the Indian monk Swami Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. His talks and the lectures that followed introduced American audiences to yoga and Vedanta philosophy. Interest grew slowly for decades. A bigger moment came in 1969, when Swami Satchidananda opened the Woodstock festival with a prayer for peace, which is why he is sometimes called the “Woodstock guru.” That is the event the original post was hinting at.

How fast has yoga grown?

Quickly. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the share of US adults who practiced yoga rose from 5.0 percent in 2002 to 15.8 percent in 2022, based on a national survey. For children aged 4 to 17, the most recent figure it gives is 8.4 percent, from 2017. In other words, roughly one adult in six now does some yoga, and, as the next section shows, most of them do it for wellness rather than for religious reasons.

Why do people practice it?

The same survey data offer a clue. NCCIH reports that in 2012, 94 percent of adults who practiced yoga did so for wellness-related reasons, while 17.5 percent did it to treat a specific health condition (some people gave both reasons). The old post mentioned baby boomers who were tired of jogging, and that fits the picture: yoga has no fixed schedule and can be done at a gentle pace, which makes it attractive to people who want movement without pounding their joints. It is also a calm change from machines and loud gyms. If you like the idea of a quieter way to exercise, our post on why yoga became a lifestyle looks at that side of the story.

What can yoga realistically do for your health?

Here the old claim needs correcting. It is not true that doctors have proven yoga to treat arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma or heart disease. What NCCIH says is more modest: research suggests that yoga may help relieve stress, neck pain, headaches and pain from knee osteoarthritis; it may have a small benefit for low back pain; and it may help with anxiety or depression symptoms, sleep, balance and quitting smoking. The research is mixed in places, partly because yoga styles differ so much from one study to the next. Yoga can be a helpful addition to medical care, but it is not a replacement for it. Our guide to what yoga is and what the research supports goes through the evidence in more detail.

What does a newcomer need to know?

The most important point is to start gently. NCCIH advises that people new to yoga avoid extreme practices such as headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing, and notes that hot yoga carries extra risks of overheating and dehydration. Pregnant women, older adults and people with health conditions such as knee or hip injuries, severe high blood pressure, balance problems or glaucoma should talk to a health care provider and the instructor first, because some poses may need to change.

If you have never tried a class, read what yoga is for the basics and our simple warm-up and breathing guide before your first session. Then look for a beginner class with a qualified teacher who is happy to offer modifications. You do not need to be flexible to start, and you do not need to join the one in six who already practice to see whether it suits you. Try a few sessions, notice how you feel afterward, and keep going only if you enjoy it.