Yoga has continued its decades-long boom from a fringe New Age pasttime into a health and fitness juggernaut. Studios promoting niche flavors of yoga are populating the suburbs, the stock price of Lululemon is soaring, and the New York Times is regularly publishing navel-gazing yoga articles offering cultural commentary about the craze. Even me, I blog gloatingly about my tripod headstands and take yoga mini-breaks over the course of my day — furtive forward folds in my cubicle, alternate nostril breathing in the car, tree poses while sauteing veggies, tadasana in the shower. I have memorized the class schedules for no less than three local studios and boast a surprising Sanskirt vocabulary. I meditate (self-conscious shudder to release all pent-up snark).
But is yoga here to stay, or is it the latest fitness trend that will buckle under hype, over-saturation, and the short-lived interests of a public that is conditioned for instant gratification? Oh, but yoga is different, adherents will say, than the aerobics fad of the 1980s, because anyone can do it… because the health benefits are so profound… because it’s spiritual.
According to the NY Times, although the number of Americans doing yoga has declined (here), those who are practicing are spending more money on classes, clothes, and accessories. And I can attest that even beginner yogis are shelling out some serious cash. One time at my hot yoga studio, I unfurled my mat behind three young, trim, beautiful women who were chatting animatedly in their $50 Lululemon tops and $100 Lululemon pants while perched on $100 Manduka mats and $70 Yogitoes towels. I assumed from both their fit appearances and their top-notch gear that I would be choking in their vinyasa dust for the whole class, but one quick look at their upward-dogs (thighs on the ground, no back flexibility) made me realize that they were total beginners, which was confirmed later in the class when none of them even attempted to fail at crow pose. I went home that night and placed an order for 50 shares of Lululemon stock, which is now up 23%… truly, divine inspiration.
As its taught in most studios, yoga has a steep learning curve, with vigorous poses requiring strength, flexibility, and balance that most beginners don’t naturally possess. Teachers usually advise the class to “choose the practice that is right for where you are right now…”, which is code for “don’t go for the full bind on side angle pose if you can’t even comfortably bend your front leg.” But the educated, competitive people who proliferate yoga classes are not content with this advice. I was the same way when I was beginning, always striving for the more advanced version of a pose when I hadn’t even mastered the basic posture. Ironically, the more advanced in yoga I became, the more amendable I became to staying within my physical and mental limits, though the limits are fewer.
Anyway, going by the ficklesness of the American public (I now realize that most things I’ve always considered a fixture of life, such as rock music, sit-coms, and novels, are merely trends) I predict the yoga boom will continue for at least 6 more years, enough time for beginner turnover to move through the small percentage of the American population who would actually partake in gratuitous movement, enough time for young people to eschew yoga ’cause that’s what their parents do,’ and enough time for the fervent yogis (like myself) to inwardly groan at the thought of moving through their millionth Sun Salutation. Studios will fold, Lululemon will diversify their merchandise, and thousands of certified yoga instructors will be idled, because everyone wants to teach yoga, but nobody wants to practice.
