YOGA AND MEDITATION RISING DRAMATICALLY AND INCLUDES CHILDREN

Yet another survey reveals that yoga and meditation practices are rising rapidly in the United States and includes a growing number of children under 17 who are taking up the practices.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), conducts a large survey every five years to determine health issues and practices of Americans.  After evaluating nearly 30,000 responses, the NCCIH reported:

• yoga was the most commonly used form of complementary health in the last 12 months among US adults, and the trend was increasing, from 9.5 percent adults practicing in 2012 to 14.3 percent of those surveyed in 2017. 
  
• the use of meditation had also increased, from just 4.1 percent in 2012 to 14.2 percent in 2017.
  
• children's use of yoga and meditation has also increased significantly over the time of the two surveys.
  

"The 2017 NHIS survey is the most current and reliable source of information on the use of specific complementary health approaches by US adults and children. The survey data suggest that more people are turning to mind and body approaches than ever before, and the research we support at NCCIH is helping to determine the impact of those approaches on health," said David Shurtleff, Ph.D., Acting Director of NCCIH.