Yoga course may provide fresh approach to Sino-Indian relations

Bright future

Weng Junyong, one of the postgraduates, runs a company that provides yoga-related services, such as classes and sports clothing.

"I just want to make a breakthrough, and identify the relationship between the academic system of yoga and market demand," he said.

In his view, China's yoga market is low-end and lacks systematic guidance. "It is caught in a vicious circle of low-prices and low-quality competition. The situation needs to be changed by someone," he said.

He dreams of becoming a leader in the nation's new yoga industry. He is considering the potential of a fusion of Chinese and Indian yoga styles, and hopes to apply academic thinking to the market through his efforts.

The 34-year-old, who has a bachelor's in landscape design, used to work as a teacher at a junior college. In 2013, he visited Rishikesh, a renowned center of yoga teaching in India, and studied there for a month. He founded his company in April 2017.

Although undergraduate and postgraduate yoga studies are in their initial stages in China, Weng believes the postgraduate students have a lot to do.

"There are many problems in China's yoga market, such as a shortage of teachers and the irregular nature of training courses. In this context, the importance of yoga professionals is self-evident," he said.

Having worked as a yoga instructor for a year, Ping echoed that view.

"Many yoga coaches in gyms and training organizations don't even know if what they have learned and understand is scientific and reasonable or not - they just pass it on to the students," she said.

Lang Gongxun, vice-dean of the India-China Yoga College, has high expectations for the 12 postgraduates. "China's rapidly developing yoga market has a great demand for professional talent," he said.

He stressed that the master's program connects China and India from a cultural perspective and emphasizes theories and practical combinations, which could solve problems such as the shortage of instructors.

The school's teaching team is composed of Chinese and Indian experts. The college hires the teachers, while the Indian Council for Cultural Relations sends two doctors of yoga to teach at the college every year.

Speaking about long-term goals, Lang said that as a pioneer, the college not only wants to foster top yoga coaches and scientific researchers, but also produce ambassadors for cultural exchanges between China and India.

"These students will drive the healthy development of the yoga industry," he said.