Don’t be surprised if your Instagram feed is filled with photos of bendy people twisting their bodies into elaborate shapes today. It’s not a strange side effect of Brexit malaise – it’s World Yoga Day.
And the spiritual practice, which originated in India, has soared in popularity in recent years. A survey conducted by Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal reported that the number of Americans doing it has grown by over 50% in the last four years to over 36 million. It’s a trend felt in the UK too: research by Kantar Media, who surveyed over 20,000 people, found 5.4% of the UK population were estimated to have practiced yoga in 2015 (with an increase of 388,500 practitioners between 2014 and 2015).
How has it changed your life? Tell us about when you started and why, as well as what it’s helped with – any mental or physical health problems? Or perhaps you teach yoga in your community? We also want a photograph of you pulling a pose. What’s the attitude to yoga where you live? Share your thoughts below or add a picture via our GuardianWitness.
