Yoga practice is gaining popularity in China
瑜伽在中国越来越流行

Yoga is really getting a foothold in China. And classes instructing the traditional Indian discipline have been popping up all over Shanghai in the past few years.

Yu Wenqing has been practicing yoga for six years at a club in Jing'an District. At first, she thought yoga was simply another way to get some exercise.

"I just wanted to lose weight and work on my fitness. I was doing body building exercises at that time. But after I learned yoga, I found that it's not soft, slow or easy. I thought it wouldn't be as intense as running. But I felt painful, soreness and tired. However, my muscles, bones and joints were relaxing after the exercise," Yang said.

Working at an international advertising company, Yu said yoga helps her stay calm when things get busy, although previously she was often impulsive. And many others say they have benefited from yoga.

“The breathing and meditation help me to reduce a lot of pressure from work. Yoga is also a balance of the other sports. I play soccer and other ball games. But yoga is as important as those sports,” said yoga student Zhang Mingming.

Yoga was first introduced to the mainland from Hong Kong by Wai Lana in the early 1980s. Her daily TV shows taught people to clean out distracting thoughts and to live in a positive way. The show was one of the most popular programs on TV until 1999. And it gave a boost to yoga in China. But one Mexican instructor said he found a big difference between the yoga in China and the original form from India.

"The yoga we practice here is more oriented to a form of fitness somehow. And the yoga in India is based more on spiritual practice. That's why I found is the difference. Mainly people think that they will lose weight and they want to get fit and skinny all these things with yoga. When in India that's not important at all. Well, they practice a lot of breathing techniques, a lot of cleaning techniques," said Mexican yoga teacher Pablo Alvarec.

Having practiced yoga for 18 years, Alvarec said the advantage here is that people can choose from many different styles.

"Because yoga is new, everyone wants to do postures. Leg behind head, hand stands, back bends. Because they look nice," Alvarec said.

“I'm very lucky to know different types. I prefer now hot yoga, Vinyasa. I also take some classes in Ashtanga. Some genres stretch the body, the others make the muscles strong,” Yu said.

And Yu sees yoga as more than an exercise.

"Yoga presents a culture. It fixes the body like medicine. It's also a philosophy and a life attitude. So India is a holy land for me. I have to go there to practice yoga. I'll cultivate myself in one to two months," she said.

Almost every gym club in Shanghai has set up yoga classes. And there are more than 100 special clubs.