After the namaste, another traditional practice gaining ground on account of Covid-19 is yoga, according to fitness startups such as FITTR, Cult.Fit, Sarva and Get A Life Fitness (GALF). The need to maintain social distance is pushing people to log on to online workouts where yoga tops the list in terms of popularity, primarily due to its calming effect.
Other popular routines include calisthenics, resistance band workouts, Bollywood dance, and strength and conditioning as fitness studios go virtual on different mediums to cater to rising demand for online sessions.
In stressful times, people should exercise to bolster immunity, said heart surgeon and Medanta-The Medicity founder Naresh Trehan.
“You can even go for outdoor walks wearing a mask but avoid crowded places,” he said. “Also, keep a distance of 2 metres” from the next person, he said. Trehan has opted for fitness sessions via Skype since the outbreak began.
With many offices implementing work-from-home policies, online sessions offer users the flexibility to pick and choose their own timings.
“People are stressed out because of the social distancing and isolation,” said Jitendra Chouksey, founder of FITTR, which recently rolled out live yoga sessions, in addition to the calisthenics and resistance band workouts that were already being offered.
The app’s been downloaded about 13,000 times in the last seven days, up 15% from the previous week, he said. It has also set up WhatsApp groups where FITTR experts will train people for free. User numbers have jumped for the Cult.live app floated by Bengaluru-based Cure.fit, which operates Cult.Fit gyms. The app can be used by all its customers.
Timetable Advanced
“The number of people using Cult.live will hit 200,000 in the next one week,” said Ankit Nagori, cofounder, Cure.fit.
The classes being offered on Cult.live, which was being tested even before the Covid-19 outbreak, include cardio, strength and conditioning, yoga and dance fitness. Sarva, which has 50 wellness studios across the country, had to advance its timetable.
“We always had a plan of starting up with virtual classes,” founder Sarvesh Shashi told ET. “But it happened so fast because of the coronavirus outbreak that everything was done within a week.”
Since rolling out classes on Instagram earlier this week, 1,000-1,500 people have been attending sessions every day. The company has also begun online classes for corporate clients. Sarva’s investors include entertainment personalities such as Malaika Arora, Aishwarya R Dhanush and Shahid Kapoor. The company has raised $8 million so far.
GALF said demand has risen 200-250%, particularly with corporates wanting to support employees during the crisis and also after they return to office.
“Parvatasan (mountain pose), anulom vilom and nirvana breathing patterns are most in demand,” GALF founder Amit Vasistha.
According to experts, 90 minutes of ashthang yoga raises the body temperature and cleanses the nasal passages, besides improving overall immunity. Other popular yoga sessions include parvatasan, anulom vilom and nirvana breathing.
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