Making Yoga Cool

It is estimated that more than 10 percent of the U.S. population practice yoga. The numbers are equally impressive in Europe as well. But in the land where discipline was born and developed, yoga was considered to be too old-fashioned till about a decade ago by most of the urban youngsters. While they eagerly embraced exercise regimes like crossfit, pilates, spinning, interval training, kickboxing and other modern-day fads, yoga was relegated to something that was done by an older generation.

But the growing popularity of social media, especially Instagram in the last decade, has changed everything. The number of youngsters who follow yoga trainers on Instagram now rivals those in other areas like fashion and entertainment. The fact that many of these trainers work with popular Bollywood stars has only added to yoga’s appeal. The popularity turned into a surge during the covid pandemic-induced lockdown when people discovered the ease of doing it at home while being instructed online.  Yoga, as many say, is cool again.

On International Yoga Day last week, Rolling Stone India celebrated this growing popularity of yoga among its young audience with a special event called #YogaWithRollingStoneIndia by honoring some of  Mumbai’s best-known yoga trainers and social media influencers. Those honored included Anshuka Parwani, Santoshi Shetty, Sarvesh Shashi, Natasha Noel, Rupal Faria and Samiksha Shetty.

Dr. Hansaji Yogendra, Director of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, one of the world’s oldest yoga training centers, and President of the Indian Yoga Association, graced the occasion and felicitated the yogis and yoginis. She spoke about the importance of yoga for a balanced life and how happy she was that some of the honourees were her past students.

Sajan Raj Kurup, the founder, and chairman of the Creativeland Asia group (which publishes Rolling Stone India) spoke about the growing relevance of yoga amongst the young, and how as one of India’s leading pop culture magazines, it was important for Rolling Stone India to celebrate and recognize this phenomenon. #YogaWithRollingStoneIndia, he said, will be an annual event going forward.

The first edition of the event was hosted by actress and yogini Vidya Malavade with a special musical performance by Anushree Gupta. The event partners included tonic and botanical water brand Vaum; Kombucha and Kimchi specialist Mavis Pantry; wine brand Grover Zampa, and Plural, the vegan-friendly South Bombay restaurant popular for its South-East Asian cuisine.