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THURSDAY, Nov. 8, 2018 – If it seems like you're trying yoga or meditation, you might be right. A new government survey shows that the number of Americans practicing the "mindfulness" techniques has surged in the past few years.
In 2017, more than 14 percent of U.S. adults said they had practiced yoga in the past year – up from 9.5 percent in 2012. Meanwhile, the number of medicated practitioners in tripled – from 4 percent to 14 percent.
Even kids are getting into mindfulness. In 2017, the study found, more than 8 percent of 4- to 17-year-olds had been practicing yoga in the past year – up from 3 percent of the years earlier, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.
More than 5 percent were doing so in 2017 (less than 1 percent).
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The survey did not ask people why they had taken up these ancient practices. So it's not clear what's driving the rise in popularity, said researcher Lindsey Black, of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.
She said it was unclear how many Americans could have turned to yoga or meditation to manage health conditions, or simply for "general wellness." Nor did the survey ask them whether or not they had just been dabbled in the techniques.
"We just know these practices are becoming more popular," Black said.
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According to marketing claims, belly breathing, tree poses and other time-honored techniques can help kids de-stress, navigate social cliques, and even fend off flu.
Adults are told they'll develop a better outlook, better posture, better sleep and more if they use their yoga tools.
Media focus could be boosting the popularity of yoga and mindfulness, said Ted Meissner, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Center for Mindfulness.
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The university is the birthplace of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a guided program that combines particular meditation techniques and gentle yoga. It's considered the "gold standard" mindfulness technique in scientific research.
In recent years, Meissner said, there have been "sharp spike" in various types of pain, depression, heart disease, memory problems, anxiety, depression and addiction.
That has come with a surge in media coverage, Meissner said.
But most of the research has had major limitations, he added. For one, most studies have lacked "control groups" where people get some other intervention for comparison.
The media have also given their attention to studies when their meditation, their brain activity changes. But the significance of these findings is unknown, Meissner said.
What is mindfulness? The Center for Mindfulness offers this definition: the intention to pay attention to each and every moment of our life, non-judgmentally.
But when it comes to research, it is not even a universally accepted definition of the term, Meissner said. It's much less straightforward than studying a drug, he noted.
For now, Meissner suggests that if people are interested in meditation or yoga, they are going to have reasonable expectations. If you're looking to rid yourself of anxiety, he said, the practices may not be for you.
"Mindfulness is not a panacea," Meissner said.
He also advised "doing your homework" before investing in classes or courses. There are various forms of yoga and meditation – so understand what type you're signing up for. And, he said, check out the teacher's credentials, including whether or not he has a reputable program.
Even something as safe-sounding as meditation does have the potential to do harm, Meissner said, if, for example, it's all about a replacement for standard anxiety or depression therapies.
More information
The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has more on meditation and health.
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