Photo by AsiaVision/istock.com

With the daily coronavirus death toll hitting an all-time high (nearly 3,700 every 24 hours), India requires immediate COVID-19 relief in the form of oxygen. 

MyYogaTeacher, who originally partnered with GiveIndia to provide meals for hungry children in India, has temporarily altered their focus to offer Oxygen Drive classes. This initiative donates 100 percent of class proceeds to GiveIndia to help supply India with the oxygen and ventilators needed amidst this deadly wave. 

Each Oxygen Drive class is just $5 and connects users directly with an expert yoga instructor in India—yoga’s birthplace—who has donated their time in support of this important cause.  

While you take deep inhales and exhales in the comfort of your own living room, you’ll be supporting someone taking their own vital breaths.

MyYogaTeacher’s founder, Jitendra Gupta, recently launched the program to address some of his own issues in lacking access to highly trained yoga instructors from yoga’s birthplace, India, while living in California. 

After being connected through an old friend, Jitendra was introduced to Pranjal, a yoga instructor with over 1,600 hours of teacher training, who was thousands of miles away in India. Jitendra worked with Pranjal to develop a program specific to his needs and the pair began practicing regularly together, thanks to the power of technology.  

By bringing yoga practice back to its roots, Jitendra and MyYogaTeacher is on a mission to improve mental and physical well-being across the globe.  “It’s a bold mission,” admits Jitendra. “But I also know that our teachers have the power to make it a reality for every one of our students.” 

Along with booking private, one-on-one sessions in the style and with the instructor of your choice, MyYogaTeacher recently launched Yoga With Friends, which allows users to set up their own yoga session with friends all over the world. 

For every friend that joins the Yoga With Friends classes, the price of the class is reduced and the number of meals donated to hungry children in India increases. Currently, the program donates over 2000 meals per month to GiveIndia’s No Child Hungry mission.

The user-friendly app even keeps track of how many meals you’ve donated through your sessions in the form of “Good Karma Credits” and allows you to chat directly with your friends and yoga teacher before and after your class. 

During this difficult time, it is vital you prioritize your mental and physical wellbeing—and by choosing charitable workouts, your sweat session can have even greater purpose.