'35% of corporate staff prefer yoga to other practices'

Assocham study based on 1,000 employees aged 25-35

Around 35% of fitness enthusiasts working in India’s corporate sector prefer joining yoga classes rather than going to gym, a recent Assocham survey has revealed.

The study rated yoga more than fitness trends like strength and body weight training, aquatic therapy, kickboxing, pilates, zumba and other dance workouts.

It showed a majority of respondents preferred the ancient practice since it produced positive outcomes like improved social-emotional skills.

Gym and body weight training was the most preferred fitness trend for 30% of the total respondents, followed by zumba and other dance workouts (20 per cent), aquatic therapy (10 per cent), kickboxing and others (5 per cent). Most men prefer going to gym while women prefer dance workouts to stay in shape and keep oneself fit.

The survey was based on interactions with about 1,000 employees between 25-35 years working in 100 small, mid-sized and large organizations. It covered sectors like aviation, automobile, BPO (business process outsourcing), FMCG, retail, IT, IT, telecom, oil and gas, pharma, banking, finance, services, insurance, travel, hospitality, infrastructure and others.

“Yoga teaches universal values that are often referred to as life skills, it helps enhance social and self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and leads to responsible decision-making,” said D S Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM while releasing the findings of the chamber’s survey.

The survey covered Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai.

Among the total rrespondents, 600 of them said they are concerned about their health and follow some fitness practice. Majority, however, preferred yoga.

Regular practice of yoga, respondents said, gave them mental strength to face various challenges, besides giving them good health and improved immunity.