How many men do yoga? In the United States, 10.3% of men practised yoga in the past year, against 23.3% of women, according to the CDC’s 2022 survey. Men were 28% of all practitioners in the 2016 Yoga in America study. Statista finds men are the smaller group in every country it measured.
How Many Men Do Yoga in the US? The CDC Count
The best single number comes from the National Health Interview Survey, which the US National Center for Health Statistics runs. The 2022 round asked adults one simple question. Had they practised yoga in the past 12 months, in a class or on their own? The CDC reports the answers in NCHS Data Brief 501.
Overall, 16.9% of adults said yes. Among men the figure was 10.3%. Among women it was 23.3%. So women were more than twice as likely to practise, and roughly one man in ten did some yoga that year.
The margin of error is small. The men’s estimate runs from 9.6% to 11.0%, so the one-in-ten reading is solid. Three details matter before you quote it:
- The question counts any yoga. A man who joined one gentle class last spring counts the same as a daily hot yoga student.
- The survey covers adults only. It says nothing about teenagers or children.
- It relies on memory. People answer from recall, so it shows who says they practised, not who attends every week.
Four Sources Side by Side: What Each Number Measures
Different surveys ask different questions. That is why you see 10%, 22% and 28% quoted for the same topic. The table lines them up, so you can see what each answer to how many men do yoga actually counts.
| Source | Year | What it measures | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDC, National Health Interview Survey | 2022 | Share of US adults who practised yoga in the past 12 months | 10.3% | 23.3% |
| Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal | 2016 | Share of US yoga practitioners | 28% | 72% |
| Yoga Journal, as cited by Statista | Four years earlier | Share of US yoga practitioners | 17.8% | about 82% |
| Statista Global Consumer Survey, India | Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 | Share of people who do sport who practised yoga | 22% | 31% |
| Statista Global Consumer Survey, US, UK and Spain | 2023 | Share of people who do sport who at least occasionally practise yoga | roughly 10% | roughly 30% |
Look closely at the Statista rows. Those percentages describe people who already do sport or exercise, not the whole population. So they cannot be compared directly with the CDC figures. They still show something useful: the gap between women and men looks similar across countries.
Why 10% and 28% Are Both Right
One number is a prevalence. It tells you how many men in the population practise. The other is a share. It tells you how many practitioners are men. When people ask how many men do yoga, they often mean one and quote the other.
A quick check shows how the two fit together. Take the CDC’s 2022 rates of 10.3% for men and 23.3% for women. In a town with equal numbers of each, men would be about 31% of the people who practise, even though only one man in ten does.
That lands close to the 28% from the 2016 study. The surveys differ in year and method, so treat it as a sanity check, not proof. For example, the CDC counts anyone who practised once, while a studio headcount counts only people who turn up.
- Use prevalence (10.3%) to ask how common yoga is among men.
- Use share (28%) to ask who is likely to stand next to you in class.
- Use counts to ask how big the group is. Our own arithmetic from the published figures gives about 3.6 million US men at the earlier survey and about 10.3 million in 2016.
How Many Men Do Yoga Now Compared With Earlier Surveys?
The Yoga in America study counted 36.7 million US practitioners in 2016. That was up from 20.4 million four years earlier, as Yoga Alliance reports. Statista notes that men’s share rose from 17.8% to 28% over the same period.
Put the two together and male practitioners grew from roughly 3.6 million to roughly 10.3 million. That is close to three times as many men in four years. The overall pool did not triple, so men were catching up.
Longer-run data points the same way. The NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports that the share of US adults practising yoga rose from 5.0% in 2002 to 15.8% in 2022. Survey methods differ, so the figures do not match the CDC’s 16.9% exactly. The direction is the same.
These surveys count heads. They do not explain motive, and we would be guessing to claim otherwise. For a look at how male applicants to a specialist teacher training have changed over several years, the YogaFX teacher training academy publishes its own enrolment analysis. Here we stay with public numbers.
Beyond the US: What India, the UK and Spain Show
Yoga began in India, so the picture there should differ. It does. Statista’s 2023 consumer survey, summarised in its chart on who practises yoga, asked people who do sport. Among Indians, 31% of women and 22% of men had practised yoga between April 2022 and March 2023.
So how many men do yoga in India compared with the West? The gap is much smaller. In the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain, Statista reports roughly 30% of women against 10% of men. South Korea showed the biggest gap, with 43% of women practising.
Two lessons follow. Yoga is a minority activity for men almost everywhere, but the margin varies. And the gap looks cultural, not biological. Where yoga is part of daily life, more men practise. Statista does not state a reason, so read that as our interpretation.
What a 90-Minute Class Asks of a Man’s Body
Participation numbers say nothing about effort, so look at the workload too. A 2014 University of Wisconsin study (Porcari et al.) measured 90-minute hot yoga sessions. It reported averages of about 460 calories for men and 333 for women, at around 80% of maximum heart rate. That is a brisk workout, not a gentle stretch.
Because heat adds to that load, the safety advice matters. The NIH’s NCCIH describes yoga as generally safe for healthy people when performed properly under a qualified instructor. It also warns that hot yoga carries special risks related to overheating and dehydration.
So start steadily and drink water. Anyone with high blood pressure, a heart condition or another medical concern should consult a healthcare professional first. Tell the teacher before class, too. Our guide to Bali natural heat yoga explains how tropical air differs from a room heated by machines.
The Bali Picture: Mixed Rooms in Natural Heat
So how many men do yoga in Bali? No public survey counts them. We do not publish a head-count for our own rooms either, and we will not invent one. What we can show is what a typical group looks like: mixed.
We teach at two YogaFX studios, Seminyak and Canggu, open from 06:00 to 22:00 every day. Classes run 90 minutes at about 40 degrees Celsius and 40% humidity. The heat is Bali’s own, not an electric heater. There is no music and no demonstration. The teacher delivers a scripted dialogue, and you follow the words.
Men and women stand on the same teal towels. They breathe together and follow the same words. That shared structure matters to a newcomer, because nobody needs to be the expert.
Who Teaches the Room
The teaching approach comes from Mr. Ian Terry, E-RYT 500. He has more than 12,000 teaching hours. He trained for five years, from 2014 to 2019, with the founder of the method. Students practise the same sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises every time. As a result, a first-timer has something predictable to hold on to.
- The sequence never changes, so you learn it once and improve it for months.
- The dialogue tells you what to do, so nobody needs to demonstrate and you never copy the person beside you.
- The heat is local, so the room feels like Bali, not like a laboratory set to a number.
If you worry about being the only guy in the room, read our piece on being the only man in a Seminyak hot room. The longer answer to whether men can do hot yoga at all is there too. For a wider map of studios and styles, the Bali yoga guide covers each area.
What the Numbers Mean for a Man Walking Into a Studio
If roughly one US man in ten practises, a new male student will often be in the minority. That is our reading of how many men do yoga in a typical room, not a finding of the surveys. It matters because small things decide whether a first visit feels welcoming.
- Clear instructions on what to wear, so nobody guesses.
- A teacher who explains the room, from where to stand to when to rest.
- A structure that repeats, so the second class feels easier than the first.
A studio can control all three. For example, we explain the sequence before class and keep the dialogue the same every time. Because the words never change, a man who feels unsure can simply listen instead of guessing what comes next.
What Students Say After Training With Us
These are three students from our Bali teacher trainings, quoted as they wrote or spoke.
“the great professionalism and human skills of our instructor Mr Ian made everything so simple and fun.”
Mario, Google review, 2022
“I just thought it was going to be like a tough tough physical class, that’s what I prepared for.” Watch his graduation video.
Thomas, YouTube review, 2023
“I have just completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training at YogaFX in Bali. I enjoyed the course and we had a lot of fun.” (translated)
Uyanga, Google review, 2019
Fun, support and a clear teacher come up again and again in these reviews.
How to Read Yoga Statistics Without Being Fooled
Headlines about men and yoga get repeated without their context. Before you trust any answer to how many men do yoga, check four things:
- Who was asked? All adults, people who exercise, or only people already in studios.
- What counts as yoga? Surveys rarely separate gentle, power and hot yoga, so no national figure tells you how many men do hot yoga specifically.
- What is the time window? Past year, past month and regular practice give very different answers.
- Is it a rate or a share? Ten percent of men is not the same as 28% of practitioners.
Held up against those four questions, the CDC’s 10.3% and the 2016 study’s 28% are both solid. They simply measure different things.
The Short Version: How Many Men Do Yoga Today?
- About one US man in ten practised yoga in the past year, against nearly one woman in four.
- Men are roughly 28% of practitioners, and that share has been rising.
- The gap is smaller in India, where Statista found 22% of men against 31% of women among people who do sport.
So the honest answer to how many men do yoga is this: a minority, a growing one, and a large one in absolute terms.
Thinking of Trying It? A Practical Checklist for Men
If the numbers have you curious, a first class is the best way to learn how many men do yoga near you, because you see the room for yourself. A few steps make the first visit easier:
- Book a trial. Ask about a free guest pass at one of our two studios, and see the options on our drop-in classes page.
- Bring a large towel and water. You will sweat, and so will everyone else.
- Wear shorts you can move in. Light, close-fitting shorts work better than baggy ones.
- Arrive early. Settle in, ask the teacher where to stand, and mention any injury or medical condition.
- Rest if you need to. Pause quietly when you need a break, and tell the teacher if you feel dizzy.
If classes lead you further, Mr. Ian Terry also trains teachers, and you can read about our programmes when you are ready.
FAQ: How Many Men Do Yoga and What to Expect
Is the number of men doing yoga growing?
Yes. In the United States, men’s share of practitioners rose from 17.8% to 28% across four years, ending in the 2016 Yoga in America study. The NIH’s NCCIH also reports adult yoga use rising from 5.0% in 2002 to 15.8% in 2022, though that figure covers men and women together.
Who does more yoga, men or women?
Women do. In the CDC’s 2022 survey, women were more than twice as likely as men to practise. In the 2016 Yoga in America study, women were 72% of practitioners and men 28%. The gap is smaller in India, where Statista found 31% of women and 22% of men.
How many people do yoga in the US?
The 2016 Yoga in America study counted 36.7 million US practitioners, up from 20.4 million four years earlier. The CDC’s 2022 survey found that 16.9% of US adults practised yoga in the past 12 months. The two figures come from different surveys, so they are not directly comparable.
How many men do yoga in Bali?
No public survey counts men in Bali yoga classes, and we do not publish a head-count for our Seminyak and Canggu studios. What we can say is that our groups are mixed, with men and women practising side by side in natural tropical heat, following the same scripted dialogue.
Can men do hot yoga?
Yes. Hot yoga is open to men and women, and the 26&2 sequence is the same for everyone. Start steadily, drink water, and tell the teacher about any medical condition. Anyone with high blood pressure or a heart condition should consult a healthcare professional first.
Still have questions? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp and we will answer them personally. Ask us anything about how many men do yoga in our classes, or request a free guest pass for your first visit.
Mr. Ian Terry