Yoga Yard: Find the Expansion You've Been Waiting For!

When Beijing's Yoga Yard first opened its doors in 2002, the perception of yoga among many Chinese people was that it was a practice shrouded in mystery. Back then, many still thought of yoga as just a slow-paced, flower-crown-adorned activity shown on television, despite yoga's mass popularity in other countries such as the United States, with Madonna even being one of its most famous proponents.

Founded in 2002, Yoga Yard is a space established by Robyn Wexler and her friend Mimi Kuo-Deemer to provide a sense of togetherness for yoga practitioners. When Yoga Yard relocated to the Worker's Stadium in 2005, it only had two classrooms. But at the start of last year, amidst the chaos of the pandemic, a unique opportunity presented itself: the chance to take over the entire top floor of the building! Although it seemed a bold move at that time, Robyn took the plunge and Yoga Yard is now bigger and better than ever! With a larger studio and more classrooms, there is plenty of room to explore the healing power of yoga and connect with the wider community.

Looking back, Robyn never imagined that yoga would become so popular in China in just a few short years. As she states, “When Yoga Yard first started out, many people here even considered it a form of martial arts. But now, if someone gets in a taxi with a yoga mat, the driver will recognize them as a yogi and might even strike up a conversation about yoga.”

Indeed, yoga studios have sprouted up all over China in recent years, and yoga has become a popular and widely accepted form of fitness training. Data from 2021 suggests that 12 million Chinese people now practice yoga regularly, compared to about 16 million Americans. 

Sean Ren, one of Yoga Yard's senior teachers, attributes the surge of interest in yoga among Chinese people to their open-mindedness towards new concepts, as well as the growing emphasis on a health and fitness oriented lifestyle in Chinese culture. "In particular, I definitely think Chinese [people] have become renowned for their open attitude to new ideas, and the success of CrossFit , barre, and other forms of exercise in the country is a testament to this. It should come as no surprise that yoga has made its way across China.” Sean adds.

Sunny Shi, another long-standing instructor from Yoga Yard, embraced yoga with enthusiasm when she first encountered it in China in 2002. "I was working at an international school at the time, and my colleague who worked at Yoga Yard invited me to join him to take classes. After attending the lessons, I knew that yoga was what I wanted to pursue and it was the perfect way to combat the stress of my job," Sunny said. She soon found herself joining teacher training programs and transitioning into becoming a full-time yoga instructor at Yoga Yard.

But yoga is so much more than just a physical practice - it can also be a spiritual journey that offers many benefits to the mind, body, and soul. "It is the open, grounded feeling that I rediscover at the end of each yoga practice that continues to draw me back to yoga, session after session, year after year,” Robyn said. “This feeling started from the very first time I tried Yoga. It was an obvious decision to come back and take another class, so I could find that feeling again."

However, many people still don't understand the spiritual side of yoga, often misinterpreting it as strange or too hippyish. There are even rumors that those who practice yoga won't get married—which, Sean stresses, is entirely untrue.

Even the physical aspect of yoga is often met with similar false conceptions, like that it is dangerous and easily leads to injury. However, this is simply not accurate. “You know I always say that yoga has fallen victim to being blamed unfairly for certain things. Injuries are something that are unavoidable in every major sport. It is not something that can be solely blamed on yoga,” Sunny told me.

As one of the oldest yoga studios in Beijing, Yoga Yard has been at the forefront of the growing quest of this ancient practice in China, with both Sean and Sunny being two of their former students who have since gone on to teach others. Yoga Yard focuses on organic growth and encourages the passing on of teachings from other yoga teachers around the world. Not only does Yoga Yard provide regular classes, it also offers retreats, tours, trainings, workshops and outdoor yoga sessions for a different kind of experience. As more people continue to get involved, it's clear that the trend of yoga in China is here to stay.

Yoga Yard 北京瑜伽苑
6 / F, 17 Gongti North Road，Chaoyang district
朝阳区工体北路17号6层

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Images: Courtesy of Robyn Wexler