Indian millennials take to online yoga as home fitness booms during Covid-19
- With gyms shut during lockdowns, instructors have moved their classes online, joining many ‘yogafluencers’ in the burgeoning virtual yoga scene
- The 5,000-year-old practice is so important to India, it has its own ministry tasked with promoting the research, education and popularity of yoga
Every year around International Yoga Day on June 21, Indians commemorate the 5,000-year-old practice in the digital age by flocking to live-streamed Facebook classes, virtual boot camps helmed by Bollywood celebrities and online sessions featuring world-renowned spiritual gurus.
According to a global survey by US consumer electronics and fitness company Fitbit, yoga has witnessed a 241 per cent spike among Fitbit users during the pandemic. And in the Indian market, US$16 billion was pumped into yoga classes and accessories last year, according to an industry survey, an uptick from US$10 billion in 2018.
The trend gave Shishir Parekh confidence in becoming a virtual yoga instructor after losing his job as a marketing professional in June last year.
“Over the last two decades, home gyms have become a thing,” said the 43-year-old yogi based in New Delhi. “And now fitness has taken on a new avatar since the Covid-19 pandemic with a spurt in online yoga and apps.”
The virtual trend has spawned the term “yogafluencers” – or yoga influencers – as entrepreneurs roll out customised options for fitness seekers.
Sarvesh Shashi, a 27-year-old influencer who is known as “India’s millionaire guru”, is among these new age yogis who has found a massive following on social media.