6 Wellness Trends to Watch in 2012

I saw a lot of awesome things in the wellness world this past year which have me pretty excited... Here are six wellness trends to watch out for in 2012.

In 2011 Bill Clinton went vegan and Starbucks bought the juice company Evolution Fresh, with plans to rollout juice bars in Starbucks globally. Need I say more? But expect 2012 to be even bigger for eating plant-based and more readily available juice as juice bars ramp up expansion. Just in New York City alone, Organic Avenue launched 3 more locations in 2011 with at least 3 more to come in 2012 -- just one small sign of green goodness to come.

Whether it's videos mixing breakdancing and yoga, or Philip Askew's cinematic take on yoga, one thing is for sure -- short, YouTube yoga videos have taken it up a notch. Expect to see more carefully choreographed yoga-hybrid sequencing mixed with breakdancing, art, and the outdoors -- all with great cinematography and killer music. 

I've seen words come and go throughout the years -- wicked, epic, mint, dope, are just a few that seemed to be on the tips of everyone's tongues at some point. But the word that I'm hearing more of in conversations and seeing more and more of on Facebook and Twitter is 'gratitude' -- which definitely puts a smile on my face.

2011 had its fair share of films that focused on wellness -- from Tom Shadyac's documentary I AM, the the plant-based focused Forks Over Knives, yoga films Yogawoman and Yoga Is, and the homage to Joseph Campbell, Finding Joe. We expect to see more inspiring films next year and hope that Hollywood studios take notice.

War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from PTSD, at-risk kids in inner-city schools, and even octogenarians are all hitting the mat and breathing as a form of rehabilitation and preventative health care. I expect to see more of the same in 2012 as yoga and meditation becomes more widely accepted as form of medicine that can help alleviate many of society's ails.

10 years ago no one knew who Bobby Flay was, and Mario Batali was just a man in Manhattan who made good pasta -- and now there are dozens of chefs who are household names with television shows, Target lines, and even their self-branded olive oil. Although we're just in the initial stages of this trend, I think we're going to see that same level of stardom with yoga teachers. Expect to see more yogis inking endorsement deals, launching their own products, apparel lines, and even television shows.