Ancient ways, modern growth Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung chart the rise of Mindful Movement, a US$29 billion segment of the global wellness market
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ractices such as yoga and tai chi have commanded a following for thousands of years, but the mass, worldwide adoption of mindful movement is a relatively recent phenomenon. Over the last couple of decades, many of these ancient or long-standing practices have been co-opted by the world of fitness, adapted to appeal to modern gym-goers. Alongside this trend, our concept of exercise and fitness is also evolving - from workouts characterised by pounding, pumping, fat burn and muscle building toward more deliberate, mindful modules focused on toning, balance, flexibility, alignment and breath. Yoga, Pilates and barre have become exercise staples from high-end comprehensive gyms to neighbourhood YMCAs; their rising popularity has spawned independent studios and branded chains all across the world. In Move to be Well: The Global Economy of Physical Activity, Global Wellness Institute (GWI) researchers defined mindful movement and provided the first-ever global and country-level data on this popular and fast-growing wellness segment. The ‘mindful movement’ segment captures the exercise modalities that combine movement with mental/internal focus, body awareness, and controlled breathing, with the intention to improve strength, balance, flexibility, posture and body alignment, and overall health. Mindful movement includes activities such as yoga, tai chi, qigong, Pilates, stretch and barre, as well as other less mainstream somatic, bodywork, and energy-based methods such as Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis, Nia Technique, Feldenkrais Method, and 5Rhythms. While these classes are increasingly offered at gyms and fitness studios as part of a comprehensive fitness class offering, consumers usually turn to them with the intentions of improving mind-body health and mental focus, and for stress-relief and mindfulness, in addition to physical exercise. The participants in this market are primarily (but not exclusively) adults.
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Meditation is not included in GWI’s measurement of the mindful movement market. While meditation occupies an important place along a continuum of mind-body health modalities, this particular study and dataset focus on physical activity. Mindful movements that incorporate meditative aspects, such as yoga, tai chi and qigong, are included; we have specifically chosen to use the terminology “mindful movement” to describe this segment of physical activities in order to emphasise the ‘movement’ component and avoid confusion (since many people associate the term ‘mind-body’ with meditation). GWI explores meditation in a separate report on mental wellness. How big is the mindful movement market? GWI estimated that mindful movement represented US$29.1 billion in consumer expenditures in 2018. The market is concentrated in higherincome countries, but practices are quickly spreading throughout the world. GWI estimates that 3.8% of the world’s population participates in mindful movement activities on a regular basis, with yoga the predominant activity, followed by tai chi and qigong, Pilates, barre, and a range of other niche activities that are less mainstream (such as gyrotonics - a movement method that stimulates the nervous system, increases range of motion, and improves strength and movement efficiency - and Feldenkrais - a system of physical exercise that aims to improve human functioning by increasing self-awareness through movement). Worldwide, people participating in mindful movement spent an average of US$101 per year in 2018. This spending level may initially seem low when one considers that the cost of a single yoga or barre class can range from US$10 to $US30 in many specialised studios and full-service gyms around the world, and the cost of equipment-based Pilates training is even higher. However, it is important to keep in mind that the rapidly rising popularity of mindful movement practices has been accompanied by a proliferation of ways in which to participate
