From Hype to Devotion: What Remains of the Yoga Boom

Over the past twenty years, yoga has grown from a niche practice into a global billion-dollar industry. With an estimated 300 million people practicing yoga worldwide, the industry generated around 107 billion US dollars in 2023 alone. Until recently, the market was growing by about nine percent annually. Now, for the first time, demand is flattening. The largest commercial mindfulness movement of our time is starting to waver. This is not the end of the yoga industry, but a reorientation.

The numbers for this year are not yet reliable, but teachers, studio owners, and retreat providers have been noticing the shift for months. A sense of unease is spreading in the industry, and the change is being hotly debated, especially on LinkedIn and Instagram. Not only are bookings for yoga trainings and retreats stagnating, but yoga is already giving way on social media to the next hype: Pilates. In 2024, Pilates overtook yoga for the first time – not just in bookings but also in cultural relevance. An 84 percent increase in bookings on flat-rate provider ClassPass, number one worldwide. Yoga now appears there only as a supplement.

Those who just want a workout can find it better elsewher: Pilates

Pilates offers what many no longer find in yoga: precision, technique, and visible results. It is straightforward and physically effective. The same applies to breathwork, Wim Hof, and holotropic breathing: simple tools, clear effects. By comparison, some yoga offerings appear underdeveloped, one-sided, and sometimes even dangerous. Globally, the most popular styles are Hot Yoga (formerly Bikram), Vinyasa, and Ashtanga. The injury rate in Hot Yoga is demonstrably the highest, since many practitioners overestimate their flexibility and overstretch. Heat makes muscles, tendons, and ligaments more pliable. That is why it is so popular: we see quick results.

Vinyasa yoga, by contrast, focuses on flowing transitions. Practitioners are guided by the breath from one pose to the next – often in wildly composed sequences. Anyone seeking continuity and calm is out of place here. Ashtanga emphasizes precision and repetition of the same sequence – which is why it is sometimes dismissively called “military yoga.” All three styles are predominantly body-focused and dynamic. The workout character is clearly the priority. It is about visible results on the physical level. That has relatively little to do with yoga’s origins.

What does spirituality even mean in the yoga context?

The truly spiritual approach of yoga, as emphasized in most Indian sources such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, or the Hatha Pradipika, plays only a marginal role in these three styles. What does spirituality mean here? Above all, connectedness and awareness on many levels. Some call it the divine essence that resides within us; others mean a form of energy that can be awakened through practice. What unites them is the idea that body, mind, and soul can be brought together so that we experience ourselves as a living part of the world. Yoga means “unity” or “connection.” According to the original traditions, it is only in the stillness of the mind that we discover who we truly are.

Meditation is one possible practice to gain more clarity about ourselves. It requires practice, patience, and humility. Most mindfulness practices aim at slowing down, turning inward, and concentrating. In the mode of inner calm, we can also face our daily lives with more mindfulness and composure. Those who use these practices to increase efficiency – for instance, to get work done faster, look slimmer, or appear better – reduce the original idea of yoga to absurdity. In that case, it is no longer yoga, but simply a workout. Only the label “yoga” remains attached.

Even some spiritual offerings rely on acceleration

Those who seek spiritually oriented yoga and energetic practices will find, at the other end of the spectrum, an overabundance of Yogi Bhajan–style Kundalini. This is recognizable by its focus on rapid breathing techniques, known as “breath of fire,” used to push energy upward. The effect is striking: one feels charged, energetic, alive. From a scientific perspective, these breathing techniques stimulate the sympathetic nervous system – essentially our survival mode, preparing us for fight or flight. Inner peace and depth are not easily found in this mode. The parallel to daily life is obvious: in the workplace we are accustomed to running on high alert, and instead of switching off after work, we continue to seek a “high” even in our free time.

It would make more sense to use practices that activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which supports relaxation and regeneration. Aside from Yin Yoga, where poses are held for several minutes, there is little emphasis on slowness and reflection in the current range of offerings.

The emotional and sensory dimension is missing

What dynamic yoga, Pilates, or gymnastics cannot cover are the emotional, sensory, and transcendent dimensions of our lives. Yoga styles such as Hatha and Himalayan Kriya Kundalini – originally tantric practices – address body, mind, and soul: through chanting mantras, guided meditation, and targeted breathing techniques, the body serves only as a vehicle to bring the mind to rest.

Traditional Hatha offerings have become rare. Hatha is slow, poses are held longer, and one connects with the present moment through the breath. That does not necessarily suit the spirit of our times. We are used to doing things quickly and efficiently. That is why Vinyasa yoga is so popular: the dynamic movements from one pose to the next are as fast as our thoughts. They mirror our rapid lifestyle. This does not mean Vinyasa cannot be effective – on the contrary: it calms the mind because movement itself creates stillness in the head. It simply shows that in our societies we prefer the aspects of yoga that resemble our everyday habits. Acceleration is desired – for fear of being left behind if we go too slowly. But one could also see it differently: a calm mind makes us resilient and composed in a hectic world.

The yoga bubble is bursting: Return to inwardness

A search for “yoga” on Instagram brings up handstand reels, fancy poses, and slim yoga bodies. This is only a fragment of yoga – but unfortunately what we see first. It is time to put yoga in a different light. And the shift in trends offers the best opportunity to realign our practice.

Yoga does not begin with poses but with attitude. Yoga means “connection.” It is a path to self-knowledge and transformation. This self-confrontation is not always pleasant; it is a years-long process of learning and practicing that makes us more mindful and receptive to our own lives and those of others.

Right now we need more authentic yoga offerings that address not only the body but also emotions, the heart, and the soul. This clears the field: fewer but deeper, more honest classes and retreats. Less fast-forward, but more authentic guidance. No more Instagram contests. No pressure for the perfect body. An end to superficial beauty trends. Instead: space for conscious self-realization, introspection, connection with others. Yoga is an invitation – no matter how we look, what body we have, or where we come from.

Author: Marco Weimer