Aerobics + Yoga = Pilates

How old trends keep coming back in new leggings (and why that should matter to us)

This article was sparked by an Instagram story from instructor Jana Rachno (@jana_rachno) that really stayed with us. Jana shared a reflection on how movement turns into a “product” – how names, promises and visuals change, but our bodies stay the same, following the same old, time-tested principles.

So let’s take a closer look at this “fashion in movement”. Not to crown a winner, but to remind ourselves where the human being sits in all of this – and what role a system like Zenamu can (and shouldn’t) play.

When a VHS tape changed the world: the aerobics era

In the early 80s, all it took was pressing “play”. Jane Fonda in bright leggings, a tape deck, and a living room turned into a fitness studio. Her Jane Fonda’s Workout from 1982 became an icon – over the following years, the series sold around 17 million copies worldwide,¹ changing not only home workouts but even the market for video players.

Aerobics had a very simple kind of magic:

• it was cheap,
• accessible to almost anyone,
• and above all, it was packed with joy and energy.

Then something happened that we keep seeing in the fitness world over and over again: once a trend explodes, almost everyone starts offering it. Quality of teaching becomes uneven, authenticity gets diluted, some people burn out… and collective attention quietly moves on.

Yoga: from spiritual practice to lifestyle business

The next big wave came from the opposite side of the spectrum. Yoga moved from the fringes into the mainstream: from a small group of “weird people on mats” to a fully-fledged lifestyle category.

The numbers back this up. According to Future Market Insights, the global yoga market in 2024 is worth around USD 119 billion and could grow to USD 288 billion by 2034.²

Another report from Expert Market Research estimates the yoga market at around USD 115.43 billion in 2024, with an expected annual growth rate of about 9%.³

In practice, that looks like:

• upscale studios in big cities,
• designer mats and clothing,
• retreats and “yoga & brunch” weekends,
• spirituality used as part of the branding.

None of this is inherently bad. It’s just important to see that even a “journey inward” eventually turned into a product – something that can be packaged, photographed and sold. And once everyone starts teaching, the same pattern appears again: some of the depth gets lost.

Pilates and reformer: the new star (with a premium price tag)

Enter the next hero – Pilates, and especially its “Instagram-ready” reformer version. Clean lines, white walls, neat rows of machines, slow-motion shots of long & lean bodies.

From a business perspective, it makes sense:

• studios invest hundreds of thousands up to millions of CZK in equipment,
• they can charge a higher price per class,
• it creates the feel of a luxury experience that sells well.

And this trend isn’t just a vibe. According to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, reported for example by Women’s Health, Pilates has become the fastest-growing fitness modality in the US: between 2019 and 2023, the number of people doing Pilates increased by almost 40% (from 9.2 to 12.9 million), while yoga “only” grew by 23.6%.⁴

Les Mills, in its own reports, describes Pilates and “sculpt” classes as some of the biggest stars of recent years – thanks to their blend of strength, mobility and “feel good” effect that especially younger generations are drawn to.⁵

In short: Pilates is riding the same wave yoga did a few years ago. It just uses a different visual language and a different vocabulary.

Data instead of mantras: longevity, biohacking and “scientific health”

Once the spiritual language runs out of steam, a new one moves in: data, longevity, neuroplasticity, biohacking, evidence-based.

“We don’t want spiritual fluff, we want facts.”

And with that come:

• wearables and heart rate variability charts,
• 12-week longevity programs,
• cold plunges, infrared panels, supplements “for everything”,
• training plans promising “X% better sleep” or “Y extra years of healthy life”.

Again – science is great. Data matter. But the moment our health becomes primarily an investment product, it’s easy to get caught in yet another race for “the right trend” instead of noticing the most basic thing: how we feel today, in our actual body.

What the numbers say: fitness as global business

Stepping away from stories and looking at the data, the picture roughly looks like this:

• The global health & fitness club market (gyms, studios, wellness centres) was worth around USD 112.17 billion in 2023 and could grow to more than USD 202.78 billion by 2030.⁶
• The Pilates & yoga studio segment is estimated at about USD 161.98 billion in 2024, with a projected increase to USD 430.87 billion by 2034.⁷
• Pilates is, according to the latest figures, the fastest-growing modality of recent years, while yoga continues to hold a very strong and stable base.⁴⁷

So no – yoga is not “dying”. And aerobics hasn’t “disappeared”.

We’re just living in a time where attention moves in cycles, and every few years a “new old” discipline appears, wrapped in fresh branding, new promises and a new price tag.

What we actually took from all those waves

If we peel away the marketing, we’re left with something quite simple – and all the more valuable:

• From aerobics, we carry joy, music, rhythm and the power of a group that can lift you even after a brutal day.
• Yoga reminded us of breath, stillness and the ability to just “be with ourselves”, even when life outside is noisy.
• Pilates taught us to notice details, stabilise deep muscles, and move with precision and awareness.

These qualities are not tied to any one trend. They just get sold in different packaging each time.

The real problem doesn’t start with whether we move on a mat, on a machine, or in trainers. It starts when a class becomes just a “slot in the schedule” we have to fill, and a teacher becomes a “product” expected to deliver a flawless experience on demand.

Where Zenamu fits into all this

This is where Zenamu comes in – and where we very consciously draw a line:

we don’t want to decide which trend is “the right one”.

In our system, it’s completely natural to see side by side:

• an evening yoga class in a community centre,
• a premium Pilates reformer studio,
• an early-morning strength session in a small gym,
• a healthy-back course for seniors,
• kids’ dance classes.

For Zenamu, all of these are “just” different class types in the database. The important stuff happens between:

• the instructor and the people in the room,
• movement and the body,
• intention and reality.

Our job is to make sure that:

• setting up the timetable takes minutes, not evenings,
• clients can find and book classes without unnecessary friction,
• cancellations, waitlists, payments and memberships hurt less than leg day,
• studios have clarity in their numbers without losing their soul in the process.

Put simply: Zenamu is meant to be a solid backstage – not the star of the show.

Your body doesn’t want another “trend”. It wants attention.

When we put aside marketing, spreadsheets and charts, we’re left with a handful of blunt but honest questions:

• Do I notice how I breathe when I’m moving?
• Do I leave class feeling that life in this body is just a tiny bit better?
• Does this kind of movement help me live my everyday life more fully, or is it just another to-do in my calendar?
• Am I exercising for myself – or for whatever happens to be trending on Instagram this month?

Most of the time, the name doesn’t matter. One season it’s aerobics, then “power flow”, then Pilates sculpt. For the body, it’s always the same: a meeting with movement, breath and attention.

Health is not something you can buy as a one-off product. You only get to live it – in small, often invisible steps. Class by class. Breath by breath.

And if Zenamu can help you with that by taking care of registrations, payments and scheduling, so you have more energy for what matters – the people in front of you and your own body – then this whole thing makes sense to us.

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Sources

Footnotes

1. Jane Fonda's Workout – summary of sales estimates (around 17 million copies), e.g. Wikipedia – Jane Fonda's Workout and popular articles such as Vogue: Jane Fonda's Workout From 1982 Is Still the Best Exercise Class Out There. ↩

2. Future Market Insights – Yoga Market Size & Trends 2024–2034. ↩

3. Expert Market Research – Yoga Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Report 2034. ↩

4. Women’s Health – Pilates Is The Fastest Growing Workout Modality, For Good Reason, citing Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) data. ↩ ↩²

5. Les Mills – e.g. Top 6 Fitness Trends for Clubs in 2023 and Fitness in Focus: 6 Things We Learned in 2023. ↩

6. Fortune Business Insights – Health and Fitness Club Market – Infographic and the related report Health and Fitness Club Market Size, Share & Growth. ↩

7. Polaris Market Research – Pilates & Yoga Studios Market Size, Share & Report and their press materials on market projections through 2034. ↩ ↩²