Inside Zephyr Coves Svadhyaya Yoga Studio, a handful of students move to the calm direction of instructor Jenay Aiksnoras.

Exhale. Bring that energy down to your heart. Inhale. And reach to the sky.

The room is decorated with pictures of rainbows and sailboats, dogs and smiling babies. The light is dim. Thick canvas curtains keep outside noise from breaking the calm within the space.

Svadhyaya is one of a growing number of yoga and Pilates studios around Lake Tahoe. Alongside a national boom in yoga, the area is seeing more studios, more teachers and more people practicing yoga. Increasingly, visitors to the area are including yoga and Pilates practices in their vacation plans.

Id say its a combination of being a beautiful place and having a very active community, said Laura Green, a yoga teacher at Truckees Tahoe Yoga.

Instructor Crissy Jory, who opened The Studio in Meyers on the South Shore a couple years ago, has seen growth in both local clients and visitors who stop by for a session whenever theyre in town on vacation.

I have about 20 percent of my clientele that come back regularly, whether theyre here on vacation or live here for just part of the year, she said.

Nationally, the yoga industry has seen around 8 percent growth for the last five years, according to market research company IBISWorld. There are now nearly 25,000 businesses around the country dedicated to the practice.

Aiksnoras has had groups in Lake Tahoe for bridal showers, anniversaries and family reunions hire her for private yoga sessions. One of the reasons visitors often include yoga in their plans is because its accessible to almost everyone, she said.

Yoga is known for being gentle. Its for everybody, Aiksnoras said. When you have a bridal party or a family reunion going on and you want everybody to participate, it affords a unique opportunity that something like waterskiing or hiking or mountain biking doesnt give you.

Read more:
Is Lake Tahoe a yoga destination?