Yoga gains popularity in China

Amid China’s fast-paced economic development, yoga is making huge inroads into the country, especially among the youth in major cities where Indian yoga practitioners are in great demand.

"Traditional yoga, which originated in India is much suited to today’s fast-paced life in major Chinese cites where people would like to take out time to have mental and physical relaxation from job pressures," founder and director of China Yogiyoga center, Yin Yan said.

Yin, who spent a couple of weeks in Rishikesh in 2003, was enticed by the benefits of yoga, is now a highly successful woman who has introduced traditional yoga to China.

Currently she runs three centers in Beijing, another in southern China’s Guangzhou and more than 10 branch centers all over China.

Yin, who has teamed up with Yogi Mohan to start Yogiyoga Centre, said the Chinese people appreciate her contribution in introducing yoga to china which has encouraged them to lead a better and healthy life amid the hurly-burly life.

Yin, who quit a high-paying media job to start yoga centers in China, says her three centers in Beijing itself have some 1,000 members.

Further, the centers have trained some 300 Chinese to impart yoga in other parts of the vast country.

Yoga is fast emerging as a passion for Chinese people, especially the youngsters increasingly enthusiastic to practice yoga as a means to keep fit amid the economic boom, Yogi Mohan, who now acts as the vice general manager and chief teacher at Yogiyoga, says.

"I feel that yoga can act as a bridge between Indian and Chinese people to understand and appreciate each other’s culture and traditions," Mohan said.

With a history of thousands of years, yoga is gaining popularity in China having for long been embraced by the West, Swami Omteerthanada Saraswati, who came from Australia to attend the first-ever ‘2005 China International Yoga Show and Conference’ here said.

"Yoga is admired around the world for its positive benefits to human health. And china is no different," she said, predicting that the demand for yoga among the Chinese would be growing rapidly.

Realizing the potential of the yoga market in China, China Electronic Appliance Corporation (CEAC) organized the first-ever yoga show and exhibition here during the weekend.

The `2005 China International Yoga Show and Conference` held in association with Indian yoga gurus as well as trainers was a major success, director, exposition and convention management of China International Yoga Show and Conference, Brian Zhang said.

The three-day yoga show attended by Indian experts, including from the Pune-based Kaivalyadhama G S Yoga institution, provided Chinese people an opportunity for the first time to have fun, celebrate, explore and learn about traditional yoga and healthy living, he said.

Brian said the event also provided an opportunity to Chinese and foreign exhibitors to showcase their products related to yoga, fitness and healthy living to the Chinese people.