Do different groups of people have different experiences with yoga?

Much of the research on yoga in the United States has been conducted in predominantly female, non-Hispanic White, well-educated people with relatively high incomes. Other people—particularly members of minority groups and those with lower incomes—have been underrepresented in yoga studies.

Different groups of people may have different yoga-related experiences, and the results of studies that did not examine a diverse population may not apply to everyone

• Differences related to age. In one survey, people age 40 to 54 were more likely to be motivated to practice yoga to increase muscle strength or lose weight, while those age 55 or older were more likely to be motivated by age-related chronic health issues. People age 65 and older may be more likely to need treatment for yoga-related injuries.
• Differences related to education. National survey data indicate that, both in the general population and among people with low-back pain, respondents who did not graduate from high school were more likely than those who had a high school diploma or had attended college to report “lack of knowledge” as a reason for not practicing yoga.
• Differences related to sex. A study found evidence for differences between men and women in the effects of specific yoga poses on muscles. A study in veterans found preliminary evidence that women might benefit more than men from yoga interventions for chronic back pain.
• Differences related to ethnicity. U.S. national survey data show lower participation in yoga among Hispanic adults, compared to non-Hispanic White adults (8.0 percent vs. 17.1 percent of adults in 2017). A small 2021 survey of U.S. Hispanic adults with low incomes showed that cost was the most common barrier to participation in yoga. Other perceived barriers included concern about the need for physical flexibility (especially among men and those with no prior experience with yoga), thinking that they would feel like outsiders in a yoga class (among those with no prior experience), and considering yoga boring (among young adults).