Chakra Project has taught yoga to over 65,000 people so far.
Fifteen years ago, when Santhanam Sridharan, 37, quit the corporate world to learn the art of yoga, the world was still far less exposed to screen time and the pressures of multi-tasking and fighting lifestyle disorders were only building up.
"Even then, I saw what was wrong with it. I didn't want that life. The toxic productivity, the focus seemed to be driven towards making a lot of money now so that you can spend on doctors later. That is not how anybody's life should be," he said, explaining why his views on getting a work-life balance became stronger. He is the founder of a yoga centre now that goes beyond just a yoga class, focussing on building a community of people who help each other in their pursuit of a deep sense of all-around well-being.
Mr Sridharan was just 27 when he started the Chakra Project, a yoga centre in Mumbai to help people understand the benefits of yoga and see it as a transformative practice. He embarked on a country-wide journey after leaving his job at a multinational company and then spent years learning from different gurus, understanding the different forms of yoga practised in the country before he finally decided to set up his centre. 'Hatha' and 'Ashtanga' yoga forms are taught at the centre, that according to him, merge traditional techniques of yoga with modern-day health needs in the best way.
Chakra Project has taught yoga to over 65,000 people so far and serviced over 50 corporate clients. A highlight of this yoga centre is that it also takes yoga practitioners on Himalayan retreats so that they can experience yoga like in old times.
Yoga gives you a sense of community
In 2015, after the celebration of the International Day of Yoga was mandated by the United Nations, thousands of yoga centres and studios have come up and it has become a billion-dollar industry now.
A significant reduction in the number of jobs has resulted in depression, anxiety, mental stress, and sleep disorders and many have turned to yoga trainers, both online and offline, to salvage their lives.
Amid this surge of demand for both learning and teaching yoga, many, like Mr Sridharan have abandoned the corporate dream and started yoga centres that have been able to bring a meaningful difference to many lives.
Today, the Chakra Project through its work in Bengaluru and Mumbai is reaching out to hundreds of people in the country and abroad, both online and offline, to prioritise health and wellness over everything else.
"People's lifestyle is like a stack of cards that can be fixed one by one by yoga. Yoga can give you a community that can inspire you to do a lot with life," says Mr Sridharan.
The benefits are many, he explains. "People's cravings have reduced because of yoga. We find a lot of people with diabetes, thyroid and PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Disease - mostly caused by a combination of hormonal imbalance and genetic tendencies) coming to us, and they have found yoga useful. There are some postures you know you can't do if you eat in a certain way, which is why yoga helps in building a community that helps you with healthy peer pressure," he said.
He said that there is not much of an affordability question with yoga but it is not that only the highly stressed corporate employees need yoga. "Recently I went to a jewellery showroom and realised the kind of stress the salespersons face. Blue collar workers need these techniques as much as the white collar ones."
Yoga, he added, can also provide answers to deeper questions, and can also help one approach ancient science in a technical but also contemporary way.
"Health was a priority during Covid-19, But now, people have gone back to prioritising work"
In 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 boosted the need for yoga practice across the world and transformed the industry in a significant way. But trainers such as Mr Sridharan feel that is changing now.
"During Covid-19, people prioritised health but now, they are back to putting work first. We need to come up with ways to say no to anything that requires us to be in traffic a lot, or too much before screens," he said.
Inspired by Swami Vivekananda and Osho, Mr Sridharan says teacher training courses are very important for every yoga tutor and that he takes them once every two-three years. "Hatha yoga consists of simple postures and Ashtanga is a connection of all postures to a chain of meditation using breath. Hatha you go slowly, take breaks. Ashtanga works on breath and mental health. The attempt is to make it holistic and turn in a direction of sadhana, freedom of the mind," he said.
Yoga is now a mainstream activity in the US and is commonly portrayed as a healthy lifestyle choice, but Mr Santhanam feels yoga is not just that and helps in addressing the larger philosophical and spiritual issues that many people seek.
Yoga, Santhanam Sridharan said, can also provide answers to deeper questions
The scene in the corporate world is also changing with many of them insisting on work-from-home options to reduce commute time and even organising regular retreats for their employees to rejuvenate themselves.
"I see corporate firms also doing sessions for their employees. People want to age gracefully. I tell my students to never make excuses to not practise. Fitness has to be a long-term pursuit. There is no alternative. There is a lot of essential breath work that makes yoga more beneficial than strength training or gym workouts," he said.
Mr Sridharan says a lot of his childhood experiences helped him build the strength to do this but says a lot of inspiration has come from his wife, also a yoga practitioner. "Travelling extensively to places where you don't speak the language and connecting with people helped me learn a lot, and make decisions that are correct," he added.