It’s Time: Let’s
Close The Yoga Gap.

Yoga is a tool to help us all in the work of creating a more just world, a world where everyone is allowed to breathe freely. The poses (asanas) sustain and enliven us—while the related practices of meditation, breathwork, and deep rest invite us to heal.

Reflection of a person looking to a wall holding four stalks of roses.

Studies have shown what we already intuitively know - that there is a gap in accessing yoga.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE YOGA GAP?

Who is most likely to have access to yoga?

Yoga is most commonly practiced by non-Hispanic white, college educated, female, young to middle-aged adults. Individuals of higher economic status are also more likely to use integrative medicine therapies including yoga (1).

Why does it matter that there is a gap in who accesses yoga?

Yoga, known to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, has benefits for Every Body.

Its healing properties may be especially beneficial for low-income individuals and those from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds who experience more stress in their lifetimes than other groups. 

Discrimination, a chronic stressor that occurs at multiple levels (2) (cultural, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized), is particularly relevant to health disparities in people of color (3).

What can be done to Close the Yoga Gap?

More can be done to encourage participation by underserved populations. (1)

The intention of EveryBody Breathe is to provide communal learning and communal financial support so that the benefits of yoga can be more accessible to EveryBody.

Let’s reimagine how yoga is made available.

We welcome all who wish to explore healing practices such as yoga, meditation, mindful movement, and breathwork.

We seek to grow our community by attracting others who acknowledge the historical inequities of access to yoga and actively work to create a more inviting and supportive space for all.