Khushi Se Yoga: When Happiness Is The Goal

Do you get stressed about small things and are bogged down for the rest of the day? Well, you are not alone. 1 in 4 people in India is found to be stressed. Sunder Bishnoi and Ashok Bishnoi have an interesting solution for this

Sunder and Ashok's extraordinary 'Khushi se Yoga.'
Sunder and Ashok's extraordinary 'Khushi se Yoga.' 

Do you get stressed about small things and are bogged down for the rest of the day? Well, you are not alone. 1 in 4 people in India is found to be stressed. Sunder Bishnoi and Ashok Bishnoi of ‘Khushi se Yoga’ have identified this problem, and lucky for all of us, found an innovative solution for this.

Sunder and Ashok believe that the simplicity of Yoga can bring about immense change in our daily lives and help reduce stress. Read on to know about how they are making others believe in this through ‘Khushi Se Yoga.’

The Beginning: It Was Meant to Be

Both Sunder and Ashok have been associated with Yoga since childhood.
Both Sunder and Ashok have been associated with Yoga since childhood.

Sunder and Ashok pursued their respective MBA degrees and got married through a traditional arranged setup. They had a lot in common with each other, and it was this commonality that made them life partners, and eventually business partners as well. While working in the corporate sector, they realised how everyone was so stressed there. As a result, many of their colleagues were suffering from anxiety and depression. This was the case, not just in their particular workplaces, but in corporate sectors in general.

One of the things that Sunder and Ashok had in common was their army backgrounds and a resultant connection with Yoga. Both of their families had been practising Yoga and they had grown up learning it. Everything came together gradually, and in 2018, Sunder and Ashok decided to start their start-up ‘Khushi Se Yoga.’

“We could see that there is an urgent need for some kind of stress-busting and relaxation in the corporate sector.”

They also emphasise that the simplicity of Yoga is lost in the midst of all the myths that are associated with it. Their venture also aims to bust those myths and let people see Yoga for what it simply is.

Currently, they take regular online classes for groups and individuals, and conduct sessions for corporates. In addition, they also organise Yoga retreats at different places. They also organise an annual event on International Yoga Day that is free for all.  

The Name ‘Khushi Se Yoga’

The goal is to remind people to be happy.
The goal is to remind people to be happy. 

One of the things that have become very uncommon in the world today is joy. Sunder and Ashok talk about how happiness and joy are supposed to be very inherent to human nature. But unfortunately, today, people have to find them in places. Even when they are found in a b c reason, they are very short-lived and temporary. The aim of ‘Khushi Se Yoga’ then, is to bring about joy, a joy that de-stresses, a joy that does not need a reason to show itself.

Laughter Yoga

A way to bring back the unaccounted-for joy in the lives of people is through ‘laughter Yoga.’ Their weekend batch, which consists mostly of senior citizens, specialises in laughter Yoga.

“The clients enjoy themselves enormously during these classes,”

Sunder and Ashok say.

They further explain the science behind laughter yoga which was first initiated by Madan Kataria somewhere around 1995.

Studies have found that 50% of the common diseases that we witness today are due to stress. Laughing is the easiest way to destress and relax as it releases chemicals in the body that acts as a counter to stress. Specific studies conducted on laughter yoga have proven that it can act as a catalyst in the treatment of ailments.

“Laughter Yoga is popular because anyone can do it despite age and challenges. Plus, the message is that there shouldn't be needed a reason for laughing.”

How the Pandemic Helped in Furthering the Vision ‘Khushi Se Yoga.’

'Khushi Se Yoga' is building a virtual community of Yoga enthusiasts.
'Khushi Se Yoga' is building a virtual community of Yoga enthusiasts.

‘Khushi Se Yoga’ started out with an aim to build a community of Yoga enthusiasts and help others understand Yoga and benefit from it. It was not supposed to be a physical venture as much as it was going to be a virtual community.

So for Ashok and Sunder, where the pandemic did bring certain problems, it helped them establish their vision. Earlier they were taking online and offline sessions both, and travelling to different places for physical classes took up a lot of their time. With online classes, they were able to take twice the number of sessions. This helped them grow their virtual community.

“We never invested in a gym or studio space because our client mode has always been such that we use the office space of the corporates. So our vision has been virtual since the beginning.”

One aspect of their venture is to join more people with them. The ones that are learning Yoga from them can also join them as instructors after getting their certifications. This way, ‘Khushi Se Yoga’ created a lot of employment opportunities during the pandemic.  

Where Does It Go From Here

They aim to reach out to more and more people through Yoga.
They aim to reach out to more and more people through Yoga. 

Ashok and Sunder aim to expand ‘Khushi Se Yoga’ and further connect more people to grow their virtual Yoga community.  

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