Yoga against loneliness

1 in 5 yogis practice yoga to feel less alone!

In astudy by Eventbrite, 2,000 yogis were surveyed. The five most common reasons for practicing yoga for those surveyed are: relaxation, strengthening physical and mental health, reducing stress, increasing feelings of happiness and a certain training effect. 1 in 5 yogis (21%) practice yoga to feel less alone.

What is loneliness?

Loneliness is being alone. Being alone can be good for you if you want to get to know yourself better. In solitude the mind can relax and the thoughts can organize themselves. This way you can gain new strength, learn about your needs and become creative again.

Loneliness, especially over a long period of time, is often experienced negatively, as abandonment, loneliness and isolation. Loneliness has nothing to do with the presence and absence of people, because you can feel lonely even in a room full of people. It describes the feeling of not being recognized, noticed and needed. We feel lonely when we seek social connection and emotional connection. Social loneliness is considered one of the biggest risk factors for depression.

Younger people under 30 feel lonely more often.

In Germany, almost one in ten citizens feels lonely. In 2017, 9.5% of respondents in a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) said they felt lonely. There has been no increase in the proportion in the last 4 years. But loneliness is a serious social problem. The development in the younger age groups is worrying. Loneliness has increased more among 20 to 29 year olds than among those over 60. Among younger people, 29% reported a worse value than in 2013. One reason may be that at this age they often move out of their parents' house or move and start training or studying. People who feel lonely are usually more susceptible to physical and mental illnesses.

Together instead of alone!

Mental Health Week is taking place in Germany from October 10th to 20th with the motto: Living together in a mentally healthy way, together instead of alone . October 10th was also International Mental Health Day. During this period, various events, workshops, specialist lectures and campaigns on the topic of mental health will take place. The aim of all events is to educate people about mental illnesses and to reduce fear of contact and stigmatization. Awareness of the importance of mental well-being should be promoted. You can find more information about the campaign week here .

Yoga courses against loneliness!

As mentioned at the beginning, many students go to yoga classes to strengthen their physical and mental health and to feel less alone. Every yoga teacher should keep this in mind - the students come not only because of you, because you teach such fantastic yoga, but also or especially because of the group you belong to.

The study also showed this: 56% of those surveyed who practice yoga in a group feel very happy after a course. Of those who practice yoga alone, it was only 36%. This is perhaps also one of the explanations why practicing with YouTube can be good, but can never replace the yoga course and the group feeling.

With yoga you can learn to find peace within yourself.

So that being alone is perceived as a positive thing. In our society, we often get our self-confidence from feedback from others. When we receive validation from others, we feel good and are valuable members of society. When people are alone for a long time, we tend to think of them as weird. That's why being alone is equated with loneliness.   With yoga we can learn that we can draw our calm, strength and self-confidence from within ourselves. There are many people who have retreated to meditate for days, months or years. They often came back strengthened and calm, focused and not lonely.  

Attention to loneliness as a yoga teacher

I experience it again and again, especially in larger yoga studios in big cities, that the courses are full but also very anonymous. People hardly talk to each other and after the course I can hardly remember anyone and quickly return to my everyday life. You may like that, or you may not, because there are so many different courses and types of yoga that are right for everyone.

But I would like to make a small appeal to you yoga teachers out there. It's Mental Health Week and maybe everyone can make a small contribution to the togetherness and sense of togetherness in the group and perhaps be of help to someone who is feeling lonely and alone.

• Incorporate partner or group exercises into your yoga class. Yes, yes, I know, not everyone likes that. But, for example, simply stroking the back in the child's position or gently rocking the lower back from left to right while lying down is pleasant, reduces inhibitions and can break the ice at the first contact.
• Chant mantras or the OHM together. This strengthens the feeling of togetherness. You can instruct your yogis to stay with themselves, but at the same time listen to the group so that a “common voice” is developed.
• Take time to talk after the yoga class , for example while drinking tea together. If you notice that conversations between each other aren't happening on their own, you can moderate it a bit.
• Speak to participants where you notice that something is wrong. Take a short moment to listen to the problems and, if necessary, point out contact points and help in the area.

Do you have any other ideas about what yoga teachers can do to combat loneliness? Then bring it on – I’m happy to receive feedback and would be happy to include further ideas! mail[at]findedeinyoga.org .

Maria and Sandro, former operators of the yoga platform Find Your Yoga (2017-2023).