Over the recent years, yoga, which was originated in India, has become one of the most popular ways to keep fitness among female white collars in Chinese cities. With a large number of yoga studios springing up in and around the city, as well as lots of local gyms providing various yoga classes, Chengdu has attracted quite a few yogis from India and some other countries to start their own businesses in the city.

As a yoga practitioner with 14-year teaching experience from India, Deva came to Chengdu about 5 years ago to develop his career as a yoga teacher here. In 2018, he was dubbed by the Embassy of India in China as the Image Ambassador of China-India International Yoga Festival and Promotion Ambassador of Indian Yoga Cultural Brand in China.

Talking about the bond between him and Chengdu, Deva said he came to the city by chance while it seemed inevitable to fall in love with and at last settle down in the city.

"I have been to many Chinese cities, including Wenzhou, Shenyang and Jinan. In fact, as soon as I set foot in China, I got used to the food and environment here. However, if you ask me to choose a city to live and work for a long time, I would always choose Chengdu," said him.

Speaking of his life in Chengdu, Deva seems to have a lot to say, "It is really an amazing place to which you will never say goodbye. Its laid-back and casual lifestyle, friendly and enthusiastic citizens, as well as inclusive urban culture...Everything in the city makes me feel at ease and comfortable to live and work permanently here."

As for his entrepreneurial journey in Chengdu, Deva said it seemed very natural for him to start a business in the city. There was not any special intention and coincidence. Thanks to the city's business-friendly environment, simplified administrative approval procedures and huge market with great potential, and the local's love for yoga, Deva set up his own yoga studio at the Tongzilin Community in the city center step by step.

When he was in university, Deva majored in software development and once worked in a bank in India after graduation. He started to practice yoga resulting from an accidental injury and later became a yoga practitioner after having had a good understanding of the positive effects for both his body and mind. After he had come to Chengdu and learned some physical therapies of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), he became highly interested in traditional Chinese masterpieces on philosophies and thoughts.

"I have some Indian friends who are studying in universities in Chengdu and bring me some knowledge about the TCM. I found that the Chinese TCM and Indian yoga share some common grounds in their philosophies and values," said him. Excited by the commonalities between the different cultures, Deva started to try to incorporate some oriental cultural elements into his yoga teaching system, including the Chinese massage. And currently, his unique yoga classes are quite popular among his students.

"I hope to absorb more Chinese culture in the city, which blends tradition and modernity perfectly, and inspires me to improve my yoga teaching system. Meanwhile, of course, I wish to make more friends here and let more people know better about yoga and yoga culture."