Yoga Library · Influence

Who practises yoga, and why.

Fifteen sourced yoga routines from the people who shaped modern yoga's cultural reach. Madonna, Sting, Beyoncé, Aniston, Brand, Gaga, Mishler, Hamilton, James, Jackman. With the original sources cited.

~ 13 min read

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Fifteen sourced routines

The people who made yoga mainstream

Madonna

Singer, performer

Practice. Ashtanga Vinyasa for decades, integrated into her tour preparation alongside reformer Pilates. Daily morning practice when on tour.

Frequency. Daily through tour cycles since the late 1990s.

Why. Performance stamina, posture, the ability to sustain 90-minute concert routines into her 60s. Widely credited as the pop-culture trigger that brought yoga mainstream alongside Sting.

“Yoga is part of my discipline. I do it almost every day.”

Source: Vogue 1998-2024; Mari Winsor biography; The Times profiles.

Sting

Musician

Practice. Jivamukti yoga since the early 1990s under Sharon Gannon and David Life. Daily practice; has hosted retreats and openly advocated yoga as a way of life.

Frequency. Daily, sustained over 30+ years.

Why. Backbone of his physical, philosophical and creative practice. Particularly credits yoga for his sustained voice and tour endurance into his 70s.

Source: The Guardian 2014; Sting's own writings and interviews.

Beyoncé

Singer, performer

Practice. Yoga combined with dance conditioning through her tours. Worked with celebrity teacher Marco Borges through On The Run tour preparation.

Frequency. 3-5 sessions weekly during tour prep.

Why. Posture, performance stamina, hip and shoulder mobility for the demanding choreography. The integration of yoga with dance training is the foundation of how she moves on stage.

Source: Vogue 2018; Marco Borges' book The 22-Day Revolution.

Reese Witherspoon

Actor, producer

Practice. Daily Vinyasa-style yoga in Los Angeles, often at Modo Yoga. Pairs yoga with running.

Frequency. Daily.

Why. Sustained body composition entering her 50s; mental health; posture for screen presence. Witherspoon has talked openly about yoga as central to her recovery from anxiety.

Source: InStyle 2023; Reese's Book Club profile 2024.

Jennifer Aniston

Actor

Practice. Yoga consistently since the 1990s; reformer Pilates and yoga as her primary fitness modalities. Works with celebrity teachers Mandy Ingber and Leah Cullis.

Frequency. 4-5 yoga sessions per week, sustained for 30+ years.

Why. Long-term body composition, joint health, the meditative quality. Her physique at 55+ is held up as the case study for yoga and Pilates as the long-term anti-ageing strategy.

“Yoga changed my body and the way I approached working out.”

Source: InStyle 2022; Variety 2024; Mandy Ingber's Yogalosophy book.

Russell Brand

Comedian, author

Practice. Ashtanga Vinyasa since 2002. Combined with extensive meditation practice; has hosted yoga and meditation retreats.

Frequency. Daily morning Ashtanga.

Why. Recovery from addiction (central to his memoir); mental health; spiritual practice. Brand has been outspoken about yoga as integral to staying clean and present.

“Yoga isn't optional for me. It's how I stay alive.”

Source: Brand's books and podcast; The Guardian profiles.

Lady Gaga

Singer, performer

Practice. Vinyasa and Ashtanga, integrated into her tour conditioning. Has spoken about yoga as part of her chronic-pain management (fibromyalgia).

Frequency. Daily through tour prep.

Why. Chronic-pain management, performance preparation, mental health. Yoga is one of the documented modalities she uses to manage fibromyalgia symptoms.

Source: Vogue 2019; her Netflix documentary Five Foot Two.

Adriene Mishler

Yoga teacher, creator of Yoga With Adriene

Practice. Hatha-based home yoga, often hour-long classes. Her YouTube channel is the largest free yoga library in the world, with billions of views.

Frequency. Daily teaching and personal practice.

Why. Mishler is included here not as a celebrity who happens to do yoga but as the single most influential figure in making yoga accessible to mainstream global audiences in the 2010s and 2020s. Her 30-day yoga journeys have introduced more beginners to the practice than any other teacher.

Source: Yoga With Adriene YouTube; The Guardian profile 2022.

Robert Downey Jr

Actor

Practice. Iyengar-style yoga, integrated into his Marvel-era physical preparation alongside martial arts and resistance training.

Frequency. 5+ sessions weekly through Avengers production cycles.

Why. Posture, recovery, mental health (centrally important given his earlier struggles with addiction). Yoga is widely credited as part of his sustained sobriety and physical resilience.

Source: Men's Journal 2019; multiple Marvel BTS features.

LeBron James

Basketball player

Practice. Yoga and Pilates integrated into his reported $1.5m/year body-maintenance routine, alongside hyperbaric oxygen and cryotherapy.

Frequency. Multiple sessions per week year-round across his 22-year career.

Why. Career longevity, recovery, injury prevention. James has cited yoga specifically as foundational to his ability to extend his career past 40 at top level.

Source: ESPN 2018; Sports Illustrated body-maintenance features 2022; his own podcast Mind the Game.

Lewis Hamilton

Formula 1 driver

Practice. Yoga and Pilates as part of his F1 conditioning programme. Particularly focused on neck and core (critical for cockpit demands) and rotational mobility.

Frequency. Year-round.

Why. F1-specific demands: neck strength, rotational core, hip mobility in the cramped cockpit, and the mental focus the discipline requires.

Source: Mercedes F1 fitness profiles; The Times 2022.

Eddie Vedder

Pearl Jam frontman

Practice. Vinyasa yoga sustained over decades, often integrated with his surfing practice.

Frequency. Daily.

Why. Vocal sustainability for tour cycles, mental health, the meditative quality. One of the most credible long-term celebrity yoga practitioners.

Source: Rolling Stone profiles 2010-2023.

Hugh Jackman

Actor

Practice. Yoga combined with reformer Pilates and heavy resistance training. Used yoga particularly during The Greatest Showman dance preparation.

Frequency. 3-4 yoga sessions weekly through production cycles.

Why. Mobility, recovery, breath support for vocal performance, the meditative integration with his intense fitness regime.

Source: Men's Health UK 2023; The Tim Ferriss Show #686.

Halle Berry

Actor

Practice. Hot yoga and Vinyasa, plus extensive strength training. Daily yoga is part of her well-documented fitness routine.

Frequency. Daily.

Why. Sustained body composition, joint health (she's spoken openly about managing diabetes-related joint pain), mental health.

Source: Women's Health 2020; her Instagram fitness content.

Jane Fonda

Actor, fitness pioneer

Practice. Yoga sustained since the 1970s; she was one of the first Hollywood figures to make yoga a public part of her fitness identity.

Frequency. Daily into her 80s.

Why. The original celebrity-yoga case study. Fonda was teaching yoga adjacent classes through Jane Fonda's Workout (1982 onwards) and has maintained the practice into her late 80s.

Source: Jane Fonda's autobiography; multiple Vogue and Esquire profiles.

What unites these routines

The pattern in every famous yoga routine

Frequency. Most of the people on this list practise daily, or close to daily. Sustained over years or decades. The aesthetic and performance results are downstream of consistency, not novelty.

A specific reason. Vocal stamina, career longevity, recovery from addiction, chronic-pain management, mobility for sport, mental health. Nobody on this list practises yoga because it's trendy; they practise because it solves a real problem.

Combined with other inputs. Yoga rarely stands alone. Madonna combines yoga with reformer Pilates. Hamilton with strength training. Brand with meditation. Yoga is the foundation, not the whole practice.

R1SE Sheffield's job is to make that pattern accessible. Hot or non-heated yoga 3-5 times a week, sustained for years, paired with whatever else your life requires.

Start your own routine What practice does

Who practises yoga, and why.

The people who made yoga mainstream

Madonna

Sting

Beyoncé

Reese Witherspoon

Jennifer Aniston

Russell Brand

Lady Gaga

Adriene Mishler

Robert Downey Jr

LeBron James

Lewis Hamilton

Eddie Vedder

Hugh Jackman

Halle Berry

Jane Fonda

The pattern in every famous yoga routine

More from the R1SE Yoga Library

Yoga Knowledge Library

History of Yoga

The Eight Limbs

The Science of Yoga

Every Style of Yoga

Yoga Poses Library

Practise yoga in Sheffield

Train to teach

Who practises yoga, and why.

The people who made yoga mainstream

Madonna

Sting

Beyoncé

Reese Witherspoon

Jennifer Aniston

Russell Brand

Lady Gaga

Adriene Mishler

Robert Downey Jr

LeBron James

Lewis Hamilton

Eddie Vedder

Hugh Jackman

Halle Berry

Jane Fonda

The pattern in every famous yoga routine

More from the R1SE Yoga Library

Yoga Knowledge Library

History of Yoga

The Eight Limbs

The Science of Yoga

Every Style of Yoga

Yoga Poses Library

Practise yoga in Sheffield

Train to teach