How Many Men Do Yoga? The Real 10.3% and Midlife Starters
How many men do yoga? In the United States, about 10.3% of men practised yoga in 2022, up from 8.6% in 2017, according to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey. That is roughly one man in ten, against more than one woman in five, and the number is still climbing.
That answers the headline question. The more useful story sits underneath it, because men who do yoga for the first time in their 40s and 50s are far from rare. This guide walks through the numbers, shows where the midlife starter fits, and then explains a safe way to begin.
How Many Men Do Yoga? The 2022 Numbers in Full
The figures below come from the CDC National Center for Health Statistics data brief on yoga use in 2022. The National Health Interview Survey asked US adults one plain question: during the past 12 months, did you practise yoga as part of a class or on your own? That wording matters, because it counts home practice as well as studio visits.
| Group | Practised yoga in the past 12 months, 2022 | What it means if you are thinking of starting |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 16.9% | About one adult in six, so a new starter is never an oddity. |
| Men | 10.3% | Roughly one man in ten. A minority, but a large one. |
| Women | 23.3% | More than twice the male rate, which is why many classes skew female. |
| Adults aged 18 to 44 | 21.3% | Uptake is highest in younger adults. |
| Adults aged 45 to 64 | 14.1% | About one in seven. This is the midlife starter band. |
| Adults aged 65 and over | 8.0% | Fewer practise later in life, which leaves room to grow. |
Two facts stand out. Women practise at more than twice the male rate, 23.3% against 10.3%. And uptake falls as people age, from 21.3% at 18 to 44 down to 8.0% at 65 and over.
- One in ten is the answer to how many men do yoga. It is lower than the female rate, yet far from a niche.
- One in seven adults aged 45 to 64 practise, so the midlife starter joins a large group, not a small one.
- Class or home both count in the survey, so at-home and online practice belongs in any honest headcount.
What the Survey Does and Doesn't Tell You
Before you quote any of these figures, it helps to know their limits. People answer from memory, so the numbers are self-reported. The survey covers adults in the United States only, which means it says nothing about men in Europe, Asia or Australia.
It also doesn't separate hot yoga from other styles, and it doesn't say how often people practise. A man who tried one class last March counts the same as a man who goes four times a week. For that reason, think of the 10.3% as the size of the pool, not the size of the committed core.
Is the Number of Men Doing Yoga Going Up?
Yes, on the CDC's figures. In the NCHS data brief on 2017 yoga use, 8.6% of men had practised yoga in the past 12 months, against 19.8% of women. The National Institutes of Health summary of the same survey reports the same two numbers. Five years later the male figure was 10.3% and the female figure 23.3%.
That is a rise of 1.7 percentage points for men, or about a fifth. Both numbers are age-adjusted results from the same national survey. Even so, treat the comparison as a direction rather than a precise measure, because survey methods shift a little between years.
Several things probably help. Online classes and short home routines mean more men do yoga without ever walking into a studio first. Wider talk about stress and mental health has also made it easier for men to try something that once felt unusual. Nobody can prove those causes from survey data, but the direction of travel is clear. If you want to try a short home routine yourself, see yoga benefits for men at home.
So how many men do yoga today? A little more than five years ago. The gap with women has barely moved in relative terms, because women's practice has grown as well. For how the room itself differs, see hot yoga for men versus women.
How Many Men Do Yoga After 40? Reading the Age Data
Uptake by Age Group
The CDC splits its results by age as well as by sex. Adults aged 18 to 44 report the highest use at 21.3%. The rate falls to 14.1% for ages 45 to 64 and to 8.0% from 65 up.
The brief reports sex and age separately. For that reason this article does not quote a combined figure for men aged 45 to 64 alone. What the data does show is that midlife is the middle of the curve, not the edge of it.
Why Men Do Yoga: Health and Pain
The reasons people give are just as useful as the headcount. Among adults who practise, 80.0% say they do it to restore overall health, and the share is 83.3% for ages 45 to 64. Men sit at 79.6%, close to women at 80.2%.
- Health first. About eight in ten practitioners, men included, name restoring overall health as a reason.
- Pain management. 31.8% of men practise to treat or manage pain, against 27.5% of women.
- Midlife focus. The health motive is strongest between 45 and 64, the age band where stiffness and desk fatigue usually show up.
None of this means yoga treats pain or disease. It means midlife men commonly arrive with a practical goal, such as an easier back or more energy, rather than a wish to master a pose.
Why Men Start Later, and What Holds Them Back
If so many adults practise, why do fewer men turn up? Most men do yoga later than women, or not at all, and the obstacles are usually mental before they are physical. A few come up again and again.
- "I am not flexible enough." Flexibility is a result of practice, not a ticket to enter. Nobody needs to touch their toes on day one.
- "I will be the only man." Mixed rooms are normal, and a fixed, scripted class means nobody is singled out.
- "The heat will be too much." Heat is the real adjustment for most men. It is a skill you can build gradually, not a test of toughness.
- "I do not have the time." Ten minutes at home counts. You do not need a ninety-minute slot to begin.
Midlife Triggers
Midlife also brings its own triggers. A long commute, a desk job and years of lifting kids or boxes all add up. One day the lower back says no, or a doctor mentions blood pressure, and the idea of yoga stops sounding soft and starts sounding practical.
That shift matters for how many men do yoga after 40. They aren't chasing a trend. They're looking for something they can keep doing for twenty more years, and a slow, repeatable routine fits that goal better than a hard gym block.
If you are weighing up your first year, our guides to yoga for men over 40 and yoga for men over 50 set out a pace that suits each decade. Both start slowly, because the men who last are the ones who build steadily.
What Students Say About Starting Something Unfamiliar
Numbers show who practises. Students show how it feels to begin. These reviews come from people who trained with YogaFX, and they describe a hurdle many midlife starters know: stepping outside what feels comfortable.
Slamet put it simply after finishing the training with a group from around the world.
“We have many many challenge every day, but we can do it together until finish.”
Slamet, YouTube review, 2024
Erica, in a 2025 YouTube review, said she first wanted to go home and told her husband so. She thanked Mr. Ian for pulling her out of her comfort zone. Meeting so many supportive people, she said, made her feel she could do it (paraphrased). Plenty of new starters will recognise that feeling.
“You never know how strong you are until you finish this training.”
Cherry, Google review, 2019
Mr. Ian Terry, an E-RYT 500 teacher with 12,000+ teaching hours, leads the YogaFX programme and has trained students from around the world.
Starting at Home: A Gentle Way Into the Heat
A full YogaFX class runs 90 minutes at 40 °C and 40% humidity, taught from a fixed script. The heat is what surprises new men, not the poses. Our guide to preparing for hot yoga as a man covers that first class in detail.
A Sensible Order for Men in Their 40s and 50s
Men who do yoga successfully in midlife tend to follow a similar order. It looks like this.
- Check with your doctor first if you take medication or have a heart or blood pressure condition.
- Spend three or four weeks on short, unheated home sessions of 10 to 20 minutes, three times a week.
- Warm the room slightly, then lengthen the sessions as your breathing stays easy.
- Book a first heated class, stand near the door, and rest whenever you need to. Finishing every pose is not the goal.
- Drink steadily before and after class, and eat a light meal a few hours earlier.
- Build to two or three classes a week over several months, not several weeks.
Here is how that order can look across the first two months, as a rough guide rather than a rule.
| Weeks | Session length | Room temperature | Aim |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | 10 to 15 minutes, 3 times a week | Normal room | Learn the basic shapes and slow your breathing |
| 3 to 4 | 15 to 20 minutes, 3 times a week | Slightly warmed room | Hold postures a little longer, with easy breathing |
| 5 to 8 | 20 to 30 minutes, 3 times a week | Warm room | Feel comfortable sweating and recovering |
| 9 onward | One heated class, then two or three a week | Studio heat | Join a full 90-minute class at your own pace |
What to Expect From the Heat
Expect to sweat heavily and to feel tired afterwards, especially in the first weeks. That is normal, and it eases as your body adapts. If you feel dizzy, sick or faint, sit down, sip water and leave the room if you need to.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting heated practice, especially if you have a health condition.
From Home Practice to Teaching: The Hybrid Route
Some men find that practice leads somewhere they did not expect. They start to wonder what it would take to teach. The YogaFX path suits that wish, because the first part happens online, at your own pace, around work and family.
The Bikram Hot 26&2 Yoga Teacher Training MasterClass is a six-day hybrid course. You study online first, then finish the intensive in Bali. The next batch runs from Sunday 24 January to Friday 29 January 2027 at Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak. Graduates earn a Yoga Alliance RYT 200-Hour certificate and a Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification.
The format suits men in their 40s and 50s who can't leave a job or a business for a month. You do the study at home, in the evenings or on weekends. The Bali week then puts that knowledge into practice, with the dialogue, the postures and your own teaching all in one place.
Mr. Ian trained for five years, from 2014 to 2019, with the founder of the method. YogaFX has graduated 1,500+ students from 80+ countries, and its students have left 150 Google reviews, 50 Yoga Alliance reviews and 357 YouTube testimonials. For the wider picture, read our overview of hot yoga teacher training options and our guide to online yoga teacher certification.
The Short Answer, Revisited
So, how many men do yoga, and should you be one of them? About one in ten US men practise, the share is rising, and the middle years are well represented. Men do yoga for ordinary, practical reasons, and starting slowly at home is a perfectly respectable way in.
Curious how this looks on a national scale? There is a wider report on men in the hot room from our teacher training hub.
FAQ: How Many Men Do Yoga, Answered
How many men do yoga in the United States?
About one man in ten. The CDC's National Health Interview Survey found that 10.3% of US men practised yoga in 2022, up from 8.6% in 2017. The survey counts both classes and home practice, so the real number of men who do some yoga is probably higher.
What percentage of men do yoga compared with women?
In 2022, 10.3% of men and 23.3% of women in the United States practised yoga, according to the CDC. Women are more than twice as likely to practise. The overall adult rate was 16.9%, about one adult in six, so yoga is common across the population.
Is it too late for a man to start yoga in his 40s or 50s?
No. About 14.1% of US adults aged 45 to 64 practised yoga in 2022, so you would be joining plenty of peers. Start slowly with short, unheated sessions at home, build up over several weeks, and check with your doctor first if you have a health condition.
How often should a man do yoga when he is starting?
Two or three short sessions a week is a sensible start. Ten to twenty minutes at home is enough in the first month. Add length before you add heat, and rest when your breathing turns ragged. Consistency matters far more than the length of any single session.
Can men do hot yoga safely?
Many men do, provided they build up gradually. Drink steadily, eat lightly beforehand, stay near the door in your first classes and rest whenever you need to. If you take medication or have a heart or blood pressure condition, speak to a healthcare professional before your first heated class.
Still have questions? Message Mr. Ian and the YogaFX team on WhatsApp and we will answer them personally.