Yoga Around th World: Comparing American Yogis with International Yogis

Yoga is a popular mind-body activity across the United States and around many different countries across the world. This study compared and contrast semi-structured elicitation interview responses from yoga practitioners in the United States and five other industrialized countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada). Results showed that yoga practitioners shared many of the same social and demographic characteristics (female, white/Caucasian, educated, above-average income). Participants also reported the same benefits of practicing yoga, however, the ease of practicing yoga was different between countries. Yoga practitioners from the United States reported attending a greater number of yoga classes each week (p <.05) and also having a greater number of yoga classes available to them. Conclusions suggest that yoga practice in class settings is not as common in other industrialized countries compared to the United States. Yoga practitioners in other countries must practice more yoga on their own time (personal practice). Yoga practice for individuals in both the United States and other countries was reported as an activity that is practiced for not only physical benefits, but also psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual benefits.