Yoga classes are doing "well," say Brevard County teachers and gym owners, as people seek solace from economic stress in stretches and poses.
A recent Roper poll commissioned by the Yoga Journal stated that 11 million Americans now practice yoga occasionally, and 6 million practice it regularly, which would be at least once a week.
Brevard yoga studio owners say people are seeking relief from economic stress.
"Somebody came out and said (to me) that the economy is going to affect our attendance, and that was right when the market started to turn," said Annette Armstrong, owner and operator of Downtown Yoga in Melbourne. "We just continued to grow and grow."
People even had to be put on a waiting list when she had a pre-Thanksgiving event that brought in a well-known yoga teacher.
Shay Harris, spokesperson for the Yoga Alliance in Arlington, Va., said she has seen the trend all over the country.
"People are gravitating to it," she said. "One, it's curiosity, and two, it's the economy, and people are really stressed out. They're exploring options and alternatives."
The Kashi School of Yoga in Sebastian offers deep discounts on class cards to people who otherwise couldn't afford them. Class cards are normally $45 for five classes, $85 for 10 classes and $160 for 20 classes.
There also is a program for people to do volunteer work on the grounds of the Kashi Ashram, which houses the school, and earn free classes.
"We say, 'Look, you're having a hard time this month, you really need to come to yoga', and that's when we give the card with the deep discount," said Shakti Durgaya, the school's director.
Durgaya said that the school has seen an increase in enrollment that spiked this past summer.
Rudy Saunders, a traveling yoga instructor who owns Mind, Body, Health Yoga on Merritt Island, said that she's seen more people under chronic stress. She also works with businesses and companies to offer yoga to stressed-out employees.
"The popularity is blossoming at a beautiful time, even with expendable income being at a very minimum level," she said. "We get so tangled up in worries and fear, it doesn't leave us at our best. When we're at our best, we're able to perform better and do better."
Contact Best at 242-3784 or kbest@floridatoday.com.
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