Yoga is booming like never before. A few years ago there were five percent of Germans who regularly got on the mat, but now it is 20 percent. This is shown by a current study that the professional association of yoga teachers in Germany (BDYoga) commissioned from the Society for Consumer Research. The corona pandemic in particular has caused interest in Indian teaching to skyrocket: many of those surveyed said they had started practicing yoga in the last three years.
In this context, it is hardly surprising that the majority of those surveyed still practice at home. 74 percent of study participants said they used online offerings for their yoga practice. YouTube videos in particular are very popular. The study states: “While the vast majority (79 percent) learned yoga in a course in 2018, only 42 percent will do so in 2023, while 44 percent practice yoga from YouTube videos.” Yoga teachers are experiencing enormous popularity on the platform. The channel of Mady Morrison, probably the most famous yoga teacher in German-speaking countries, now has three million subscribers.
Yoga studios, on the other hand, are sometimes finding it difficult after the pandemic. Most of them switched to online lessons during Corona, many are continuing the digital lessons alongside the face-to-face offerings, BDYoga said when asked by stern. “We are receiving different feedback on how the face-to-face courses will be received after the Corona crisis,” says the association. For some, the hours have quickly filled up again, for some things are going slowly, and for others they are forced to close their studios. The trend towards online yoga will not be reversed, says Tessa Temme, who teaches and researches yoga at the German Sport University in Cologne. “It’s not even a trend anymore, it’s established,” says the sports scientist in an interview with stern.
The online practice is not free from risks – and cannot be seen as a full replacement for a face-to-face course. Practicing on site offers numerous advantages that YouTube videos or Zoom conferences cannot match. Especially if yoga is to be taught and understood according to its original intention: as a holistic path of experience that, according to BDYoga, “not only includes physical exercises, but also works on a mental and emotional level.”
The yoga studio itself also contributes to this. “The journey there alone may mean that you can switch off better and separate yoga from everyday life,” explains Tessa Temme. When it comes to yoga, the focus on the practice is essential in order to experience relaxation. The atmosphere has to be right: a room with peace and quiet and incense sticks is better suited for this than your own four walls, where the delivery man suddenly rings between dirty laundry and work documents.
The results of the study also suggest that the mental effects tend to fall by the wayside during online lessons: While in 2014 and 2018 the majority of yoga practitioners stated that they felt a change as a result of the practice, currently only around one in two notice it the effect of yoga. In addition to the lack of atmosphere, this could also be due to the fact that many newcomers see yoga as a form of exercise and don’t necessarily want to delve deeper into the teaching, says Tessa Temma.
“It is questionable whether everyone who has learned yoga online can also practice holistic yoga and thus experience the holistic effects,” believes BDYoga. Aside from postures, yoga also includes breathing exercises and meditation, especially for mental relaxation. Two components of Indian teaching that are often neglected or missing entirely in digital lessons. In face-to-face courses, however, the teacher can slowly introduce the participants and pave the way for a broader understanding of yoga.
For this reason, personal contact is important in yoga, both with the teacher and with the other participants; to a “community that can be motivating and supportive,” says BDYoga. Tessa Temme sees it similarly: “You have a common sports practice through which you experience social integration.” Similar to game sports activities, the personal relationships between the participants and with the teacher can help “to make what you do more positive, to take it more seriously and to participate more regularly,” explains the sports scientist.
The biggest advantage of face-to-face courses is on a physical level. Even in live courses where the teacher can see the participants, only limited feedback is possible. “If 50 people take part in a course, the teacher has no view of the individual participants – especially since many people turn off the camera,” criticizes Tessa Temme. What is completely missing from digital yoga formats is “tactile control”: In a supervised practice, the teacher can walk around, correct, give assistance and adapt the movements individually to the needs of the participants. “It is important to see the participants practicing and to be able to exchange ideas with them about their experiences,” emphasizes BDYoga.
Physical care is particularly important for three groups of people, says Tessa Temme: late starters who may not have done any sport for years. People who have physical limitations, such as joint or muscle problems. And newcomers who are just starting out in practice. Because they often don’t have enough body awareness. Beginners in particular who have only learned yoga online often cannot assess whether an exercise is suitable for them or whether they are doing the exercise correctly, adds BDYoga. This is why beginners are more likely to get injured, especially if they don’t know their own weaknesses. And especially with demanding yoga styles.
“With Ashtanga and Power Yoga, there is a higher risk of injury than with gentler forms such as Kundalini, Yin or Vinyasa,” explains Tessa Temme. These styles of yoga are more intense and often attract people who are driven by sporting ambitions. Participants may overexert themselves or make an incorrect movement that results in an injury. These are usually acute muscular injuries, such as strains. “Often in the knee, neck, lower back area – these are the danger points.”
If the movements are not carried out correctly, poor posture can occur in the long term. In order to avoid this and optimize the postures, external help is usually required. If that doesn’t happen, you either train past your weaknesses and shift the load to other parts of your body – or “you get used to movement patterns that can exacerbate imbalances and increase the risk of injury.” Once you have internalized incorrect movement patterns, it can take a long time to relearn them. “This also applies to advanced athletes,” says the sports scientist. That’s why she also advises experienced yogis to train regularly under the supervision of a teacher.
In general, yoga is a relatively safe sport, emphasizes Tessa Temme. This is shown, for example, by a study by the University of Tübingen. On average, there are 0.6 injuries per 1000 hours of yoga – a rather low rate. However, the study also makes it clear: the less instruction and correction there is in yoga, the higher the risk of injury. If you want to practice online, you should therefore adhere to certain guidelines.
“If you avoid overhead positions and strong forward and back bends and pay attention to your own limits, you can avoid major injuries,” says Tessa Temme. As a beginner, it is better to avoid yoga videos in which so-called props – straps, blocks, pillows – are used, because they require previous knowledge: “These aids are actually intended to make movement easier. But sometimes they can be placed in such a way that that the movement intensifies. You have to know exactly where you have to put something.”
Finding professional yoga instructions is not easy in the abundance of videos that can now be found on the Internet. But there are clues that you can use as a guide. Tessa Temme lists: “There is usually an introduction at the beginning. The level of yoga practice should be addressed there. The person teaching should offer alternatives when carrying out the exercises, point out possible difficulties and mistakes – perhaps even show the mistakes .”
In general, the sports scientist recommends searching less on YouTube and more taking advantage of offers from yoga institutions or yoga studios. The teachers who lead the lessons are often featured on the relevant websites. “You can get an idea of who they are and what kind of qualifications they have.” For BDYoga, online live courses are the best alternative to face-to-face courses. The teacher should be able to see the participants via the screen. It should also be possible to contact the teacher personally to exchange ideas and ask questions.
If you heed the recommendations and rely on professional yoga instructions, the digital offer definitely has advantages: you hardly need any equipment, you can test different course formats and yoga styles, you are more flexible and save time. The biggest advantage, however, is that “there are now more opportunities to take part in physical activity,” says Tessa Temme. As a result, yoga has spread even further and reached new target groups. For example, younger people who are more fitness-oriented and see yoga as a form of balance.
This also changes the relationship between men and women. This is confirmed by the current study by BDYoga. While yoga was mainly popular among women in 2018, both genders are now on a comparable level. Among those surveyed, 17 percent of men said they practiced regularly. For women it was 22 percent.
Nevertheless, face-to-face courses are always preferable to digital lessons. “An online offer can never replace that,” says Tessa Temme. BDYoga emphasizes that YouTube videos are not an alternative to face-to-face lessons, especially for beginners. For experienced yogis, online offerings can be a useful addition or an alternative if they cannot find a suitable face-to-face offering. Tessa Temme agrees. “Digital yoga offerings help people who otherwise would not have the opportunity to take advantage of an on-site offering.” For some people, this is the only opportunity to exercise with guidance. “That’s always better than nothing.”
Sources: “BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine”, “Yoga in Numbers”
