For many of the 1,500 or so attendees at this year's Evolution, the Third Asia Yoga Conference, which starts on Thursday, being taught by high-profile, respected teachers is a major drawcard.
But the yogis themselves are simply doing what they love. It's a part of their everyday routine and in some cases it has rescued them from lives of destruction or misery.
Here, six yogis, including the conference's director, explain what attracted them to the practice long before it became the preserve of models and celebrities.
Ana Forrest, founder, Forrest Yoga 'In some way, yoga chose me. I tried my first yoga [class] on a dare. When I was about 14, a girl at school dared me and said, 'I have something you cannot do'.
'I was a tough, mad, mean girl back then. I looked at her. She was short, a little overweight and soft. I lit my cigarette, and in my best tough-girl voice I said, 'That's impossible'.
'Back then, someone throwing down the gauntlet like that was the challenge that made me want to take them up on it. She told me about this yoga class, so I went.
