Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, calls for more comprehensive studies on Yoga's effect on mental health.

More than 3,000 people, including lots of beginners, are expected to stretch their muscles and boost their flexibility during Yoga Day USA, a free outdoor festival on Feb. 24 that will celebrate the growing popularity of yoga across the country.

At the Meyer Amphitheater in downtown West Palm Beach, South Florida teachers will showcase the assortment of yoga styles available at local studios, with classes for kids, veterans, first-timers, Spanish speakers and people with arthritis. The festival has exploded in popularity since it began in 2007, with 125 people in the first year and 2,100 last year.

"We want people with curiosity about yoga to explore and plug in," said Madison Moore, an instructor from Boynton Beach and the festival's coordinator. "We want everyone to be included, no matter what their level."

Moore said there are more than 100 yoga studios between Miami-Dade and St. Lucie counties. This abundance reflects the blossoming enthusiasm for the ancient practice across the country. A 2012 survey by Yoga Journal reported 8.7 percent of Americans practice yoga, up from 6.9 percent in 2008. Most practitioners are youthful, ranging in age from 18 to 44, the survey showed, while 82 percent are women.

The survey also reported yoga enthusiasts have money to spend: They bought yoga equipment, clothing and vacations worth $10.3 billion in 2012, up from $5.7 billion in 2008.

Although many studios in South Florida cater to the moneyed crowd with classes costing as much as $20, many classes are free, such as Connected Warriors, a series for veterans seeking to recover from war traumas. Connected Warriors founder Judy Weaver of Lighthouse Point will lead a 3:30 p.m. session at Yoga Day.

"We are seeing incredible results," said Weaver, who created the classes after working one-on-one with a veteran from Boca Raton. "Students are telling me they are taking fewer medications, lowering their blood pressure and decreasing their depression and insomnia."

The program began almost three years ago in Boca Raton, Wellington and Fort Lauderdale and is now in nine states.

A 9 a.m. class for people with arthritis will be taught by Mary Veal, of Jupiter, the only instructor in Florida certified by the Johns Hopkins University program, Yoga for Arthritis.

Read the original post:
Learn to stretch and strengthen at Yoga Day USA | Video