Almost 35 per cent of fitness enthusiasts employed in corporate India prefer to take part in yoga classes rather than going to gym or other fitness trends like strength/body weight training, aquatic therapy, kickboxing, pilates, zumba and other dance workouts, noted a just-concluded random survey conducted by ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation.

Majority of the respondents favouring yoga said that following the ancient practice has helped them with positive outcomes like improved social-emotional skills, highlighted the survey conducted by ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation ahead of 4th International Yoga Day celebrated on June 21 worldwide.

Gym and body weight training is the second most preferred fitness trend said about 30 per cent of the total respondents followed by zumba and other dance workouts (20 per cent), aquatic therapy (10 per cent), kickboxing and others (5 per cent). Most men prefer going to gym while women prefer dance workouts to stay in shape and keep oneself fit.

The ASSOCHAM random survey is based upon an interaction with about 1,000 employees (age group 25-35 years) in about 100 small, mid-size and large organizations across various industry sectors – aviation, automobile, BPO (business process outsourcing), FMCG (fast moving consumer goods), retail, IT, ITeS & telecom, oil & gas, pharma, banking, finance, services, insurance, travel, hospitality, infrastructure and others during the last fortnight (June 1-15).

"Yoga teaches universal values that are often referred to as life skills, it helps enhance social and self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and leads to responsible decision-making," said D.S. Rawat, secretary general of ASSOCHAM while releasing the findings of the chamber’s survey.

"Yoga can help us be at peace with ourselves as it is not just a form of physical exercise but it is a power that helps us lead a peaceful life," said Rawat.