Business

Yoga cash flows amid spiritual desert

A studio that rises above the city, Space Yoga emphasizes the spiritual enlightenment of the ancient practice for urban dwellers. (Courtesy of Space Yoga)

• Publication Date：10/09/2009
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Tien-ying Hsu

With her eyes closed, she takes a deep breath, stretching her arms and legs to release tension accumulated at work. Barefooted and in comfortable clothes, Wang Ya-ching feels her worries vaporizing in the warmth and light. When she opens her eyes again, the young yoga practitioner finds the people around her all have the same joyful smile on their faces. “Namaste,” she says to her peers in the studio, an expression from Sanskrit meaning “I bow to you,” or more spiritually, “the soul in me meets the soul in you.”

The scene here is not some secluded beach resort in India, but a trendy “hot yoga” classroom in downtown Taipei.

Yoga has only recently become a fad in the metropolis. Just a few years ago, experienced practitioners existed and yoga classes were available, but for the general public, the discipline was associated more with seriously-ill patients clinging to a final hope, or religious groups practicing mysterious rituals in incense-filled rooms, than with anything else.

However, yoga has now transformed itself in the minds of locals, becoming a fashionable form of exercise that improves one’s appearance, peace of mind and health. In fact, in Taipei, yoga has quickly gained a strong foothold over the last few years.

Although the craze only started recently, “there is a rising middle class with spending power and education that realizes the importance of exercise in Taiwan,” said Colin Grant, CEO of Pure International Hong Kong Ltd., whose company’s Pure Yoga centers entered the Taipei market in 2005.

In addition, after the collapse of major fitness clubs in Taipei, such as the Alexander Clubs in 2007, large-scale commercial yoga chains, most of which are owned by foreign companies, took the chance to win fitness lovers’ hearts with their customized services, club-level facilities and comfortable environments.

Pure Yoga’s fashionable, appealing image relied at first on glamour, as the firm’s chairman, Bruce Rockowitz, was the boyfriend of singer-actress Coco Lee. The healthy and sexy-looking star helped establish Pure Yoga’s brand image while attracting young women to its studio in the eastern shopping district of Taipei.

Its recent collaboration with Bellavita has taken Pure Yoga to a new commercial peak. “Pure Yoga and Bellavita share the same marketing philosophy when it comes to brand positioning in Taipei,” Grant explained in an e-mail interview. Bellavita, a luxurious NT$9 billion (US$280 million) shopping mall opened Sept. 21 by C.C. Leung, vice chairman of Quanta Group, is situated in the Xinyi District, where the wealthy gather to shop and enjoy a leisurely life. Pure Yoga’s new studio at Bellavita will not only provide yoga classes, but also fitness and fine dining under the Pure Yoga name. The cross-sector alliance and combined approach to the provision of services enhance Pure Yoga’s brand imprint, and the establishment of the Bellavita Asian flagship center suggests that yoga has potential as a new lucrative sector in Taipei.

Serenity is something often lacking in the hectic lives of city dwellers. With deep feelings about the compressed lifestyle of many people in Taiwan, former international corporate CEO Matthew Allison decided to open Space Yoga in 2005 to share what he found in yoga. Space Yoga has since provided a spiritual getaway for more than 20,000 students, offering professional courses that help its learners relieve pressure and get inspired by the practice of yoga.

Space Yoga’s business strength lies in the caliber of its yogis. “Our teachers are selected through a strict training program. Only one out of 10 eventually becomes qualified,” Allison explained in a sunlit classroom that seemed to be filled with yoga energy. In addition, Space Yoga aims at promoting itself through recognition from its followers, instead of reaching out with commercials or promotional packages. In a high-rise building—also in the eastern section of Taipei—with breath-taking views of the city, Space Yoga has transcended urban life in a quest for a clear mind. Business is good, too.

C.S.J Yoga, one of the few locally-based chains, with 18 studios, prides itself on its three-decade-long history, stressing its high-quality teaching related to the traditional appeal of yoga—health. As General Manager Christina Chen explained it, “Our yoga practice is specially designed to help Asian people, particularly Taiwanese women, stay healthy, since our founder Chiu Su-jen regained her health through yoga. Over the years Chiu worked with a great many local students and developed a system tailored to their needs.”

With regard to the newer foreign yoga chains, Chen said, “We welcome international studios to set up in Taiwan, so that more people will get to know yoga. Our business has not been seriously impacted by this trend, because our client group is clearly and differently targeted.”

For Wang Ya-ching, a young professional who tried out several studios before settling down at True Yoga, another international group from Singapore, appearance, peace of mind and health are equally important. Convenience and a variety of classes to choose from are the most important factors in her choice. “All of the True studios in Taipei are reachable by metro, and they offer more than 30 classes in just one center, meaning I can go there any time I’m free. True offers traditional yoga classes like Ashtanga or Hatha, but it also has more alternative choices like ‘hot yoga’ and ‘Taichi yoga’.”

For yoga to be a lucrative business with a stylish image and a variety of services may sound contradictory to some practitioners, such as Alfred Chiang, a yogi with over 20 years of experience. The small studio where he teaches is part of his home in a modest suburban apartment, and the fees he charges are barely enough to cover the rent. “Yoga brings you the ultimate spiritual satisfaction. By the time you are able to integrate yoga into your life, you don’t need as many monetary rewards anymore,” Chiang said.

While yoga in Taiwan is still a developing trend, Space Yoga’s Allison, in contrast, claimed that in the United States, yoga has become an essential part of the culture. Quite a few Americans, aside from taking yoga classes, choose health food, clothing and holiday retreats according to their relationship to yoga. One may see the synthesis of yoga with one’s life as the ultimate fulfillment of the yoga spirit, but for businessmen, it also means more potential markets await exploration. (THN)

Write to Tien-ying Hsu at tyhsu@mail.gio.gov.tw