Yoga enthusiasts practice in an ancient courtyard in Yuzhou city, Central China's Henan province.[Photo/Xinhua]

Online exercise

The fitness fad coincides with the growth of the mobile internet and a boom in entrepreneurship. Xiong Mingjun started a yoga app in September last year, despite never having practiced himself. "I know it is in great demand," he said.

Xiong's confidence grew with the news that Premier Li Keqiang and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi attended a cultural activity featuring tai chi and yoga in Beijing last year. He has devised a slogan - "Yoga changes lives" - to reflect his belief that yoga's physical and mental practices can satisfy the needs of middle-class people who want to forget about work, relax and slow down.

Since it was launched, Xiong's app has gained 2 million followers, mainly from Beijing and Shanghai, who can try yoga anytime, anywhere through free videos on their smartphones.

In the past two years, an estimated 1,700 sports and fitness apps have come online in China, most of them startups aimed at beginners.