Yoga in tai chi land

Sharath Jois, a yoga master from India, practices signature postures on Qingcheng Mountain in Dujiangyan, Sichuan province, during the India-China international yoga festival. [Photo/China Daily]

"It's a very good opportunity for someone like me from a different background to get an insight into yoga," says Mary Car, 33, who practices yoga two hours every day.

She taught yoga in Australia and moved to Hong Kong six weeks ago after her husband was posted there.

She says the exposure to Indian yoga teachers in China has been different from her experiences of yoga in Western countries.

"My education of yoga is quite different from what I'm learning here, such as the subtle approaches. In the West, it's powerful and more about getting into postures. But here it's all about the internal transformation, with more focus on the breathing and mind-body connection."

Car says there are lots of benefits of doing yoga - physiological, emotional and even intellectual.

But the importance of getting the moves right in yoga should not be underestimated, fans say.

"The gurus are very professional and teach us some details, such as breathing, postures and safety precautions," says Liu Jin, 34, from Chongqing, who has practiced yoga for six years.

"Without proper guidance, green hands may suffer ligament or muscle strains."

Last week, she took three classes a day and spent about 3,000 yuan ($483) on the five-day training program.