Most Used Mind & Body Practices
8.0% of U.S. adults (18 million) used
meditation
In meditation, a person learns to focus attention. Research is under way to find out how meditation may influence health. Most meditative techniques started in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions, but today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings.
In 2012, meditation included Mantra meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Spiritual meditation, and meditation used as a part of other practices (including yoga, tai chi, and qi gong). In 2002 and 2007, use of meditation was asked broadly and not if practiced as part of other complementary health approaches so the data is not comparable between surveys.
Adults
4 Citation: Clarke TC, Black LI, Stussman BJ, Barnes PM, Nahin RL. Trends in the use of complementary health approaches among adults: United States, 2002–2012. National health statistics reports; no 79. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2015. (240KB PDF)
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