Ever wanted to learn yoga without having to squeeze classes into your schedule or paying studio prices? Enter Ekhart Yoga, Curious Teacher of the Week and one of the web’s leading yoga sources for yogis who want to practice anywhere, at any time of day.
Ekhart Yoga is based in the Netherlands, with loyal followers from all over the world, including the US and UK, Germany, and Holland. The company’s yoga videos have been viewed 30 million times. That’s a lot of sun salutations!
We chose Ekhart Yoga as Teacher of the Week because we love how the lessons make yoga accessible to people who otherwise might not be able to practice: busy moms, business travelers, or those who live in remote areas. Not to mention those of us who like to get our om on in our PJs.
We're also excited that September is National Yoga Month, and to celebrate, Ekhart Yoga is offering a week of free yoga videos to anyone who signs up. Sign up is free - visit EkhartYoga.com for more details.
Now, without further ado, meet the team behind Ekhart Yoga!
Curious: Hello! Tell us about your business. What’s Ekhart Yoga and how did you get started?
Ekhart Yoga: Ekhart Yoga is all about spreading yoga across the world. We started by making videos of Esther in 2008 and by 2012, we had over 20 million views. A year ago, we [co-founders Esther Ekhart, Bas Paul, and Ruud Voerman] launched EkhartYoga.com, a yoga video membership site, and Esther’s online yoga “home”. We feature videos by Esther, along with a dozen other international yoga teachers. We joined Curious.com in June, where we also connect with students from all over the world.
We’re happy to have you! What do you teach on Curious?
EY: So far, our lessons teach basic yoga poses like downward facing dog and downward dog lunge. We also have several lessons that walk students through different yoga sequences, including flows for right after waking up and relieving stress.
The Curious team thrives on staying active, and many of us practice yoga. As a busy start- up, we understand how hard it is to make it to class, so we love the concept of learning yoga online. Tell us, what made you decide to put your yoga classes online?
EY: People don’t always realize that yoga can be accessible and convenient if it’s presented in the right way. If you have a laptop, an internet connection and a great online lesson, you can practice yoga on your living room floor at your convenience. When we started in 2008, we felt online yoga was an underserved area. We wanted to bring Esther’s expertise to people everywhere, not just people who lived near us.
Job well done. How did Esther get started with teaching yoga?
EY: Esther started practicing yoga at a very young age, and did her first teacher training at age 18. Her mom was a yoga teacher as well. When we moved to Ireland in 2000, we built our own yoga studio in the middle of nowhere. People drove from all over to attend her classes because they loved her teaching style - it was amazing. Esther studies yoga every day and night, so her knowledge runs deep.
What is some of the best advice you’ve received about working in the internet video business?
EY: Well, we didn’t know anything about cameras or computers when we started filming Esther for EkhartYoga.com. A friend advised [Bas] to get a great mic, so we bought one off eBay. The high quality audio really helped us to stand out. We’ve learned so much about web development, lesson building and video production since we started.
To wrap up, we’d like to know: what are you curious about?
EY: We are curious about how online yoga will evolve. Not only for our website and sites like Curious.com, but also for yoga practitioners all over the world. Will online yoga become a widely accepted addition to traditional practice?
Thanks for talking with us!
Watch Ekhart Yoga lessons on Curious: curious.com/ekhartyoga