Yoga is big in Thailand: It's official, and Isaraporn Phadungkard can prove it. In her second year at university, she was one of the few who took yoga up; now, she's editor-in-chief of the Thailand Yoga Journal magazine, launched just this week on a tide of popularity for the ancient Indian exercise.  

"Yoga has taken Thailand by storm during the last few years, and the newly founded Yoga Asia Media (Thailand) Co Ltd decided to bring the famous 30-year-old Yoga Journal from the US to Thailand", says Isaraporn.

The launch of Hong Kong's Yoga Journal coincided with the Thai version. This is the right time in Asia for a yoga magazine, says Isaraporn, citing research recently conducted by the company.

"The research in Thailand shows that the number of people who are practising yoga today has reached nearly 200,000, and it's growing fast", says the editor.

The evidence for that growth can be seen in the sprouting of large, airy yoga centres on the streets of central Bangkok.

"Five years ago, most people thought yoga was just a craze that would fade as quickly as it had arrived. But it's survived the test of time - 5,000 years after its invention in India, yoga is still going strong as a way of keeping fit for everyone." And the Thai yoga community, says Isaraporn, is ready for a magazine that will act as a forum for local practitioners, as well as giving advice to those who are interested in the practice.

When yoga was first introduced in Thailand, it was mainly older people concerned about their health who took it up. That it's become so much more mainstream could have something to do with celebrity adherents like Geri Halliwell and Madonna, not to mention local stars like Pa Ji, Achrapan Piboonsuwan and Cherry Pungprasert.

"Getting that celebrity-perfect body is certainly one thing that draws people to yoga. A lot of women come for that reason," says Isaraporn.

Despite its growth, yoga is still a niche health activity in Thailand, but editor Isaraporn has hopes that it will eventually become an everyday choice for people who want to stay fit.

Thailand's supermodel Cindy Sirinya Bishop is on the cover of this month's edition of the magazine.

Using a celebrity to draw attention is fine, so long as that person has a genuine involvement with yoga - Cindy fits the bill. But Isaraporn doesn't want to encourage the idea that yoga is simply about improving appearance. In yoga, the focus is first on inner health - the mind is of central importance - but the practice brings benefits to fitness, health, excess body-fat, stress and emotional tangles too.

Isaraporn says that her new job actually brought her back to yoga.

"I first found yoga at university but after practising for three years injuries from dancing classes forced me to stop. I had to walk with a support for my leg and it took a long time to heal - yoga is something I left behind." She returned to it this year with more conscious practice with her legs, and is finding that her body and mind are responding to it in miraculous ways.

The yoga gurus that she's met in the course of her work this year have passed on advice for her practice as well as contributing articles for the magazine.

"The US Yoga Journal provides us with half of our content, and the rest is local articles that we have to produce for the nine issues each year", says the editor. "It's harsh to say that yoga in Thailand is totally westernised," she adds. "We live in Asia, close to the birthplace of yoga, therefore we have a blend of the spiritual side of yoga from the East and the scientific side from the West. It's this blend that we aim to bring to Thai readers."

Apart from direct yoga information, Isaraporn gathers together articles on related topics that range from lifestyle and travel to food and ideas, all written by well-known columnists and yogis. She emphasises that she wants to produce a yoga magazine that everyone can read.

"I hope the magazine will get young people talking about yoga, especially those who haven't tried it before. If it encourages them to give it a go, as an alternative choice for their fitness routine, that's good enough. Then, they'll try a few classes and see if it suits them.

"I'll be happy if the magazine is a starting point for many - we can then lead them deeper into their yoga practice in the future," says Isaraporn.

Vipasai Niyamabha

The Nation