Why we started myYogaTeacher

Having started 3 companies, I believe, there are two kinds of startup ideas.

First, there are ideas that make intellectual sense – I mean ideas where you can think of a need, talk to customers and imagine a way to deliver a service in an economically viable fashion to address that need.

But myYogaTeacher is the second kind of idea. The ideas where you personally feel the need. These are ideas where you feel a sense of mission and you are compelled to pursue them because you feel that the universe and your entire life has been building up for you to bring the idea to reality.

You see – My name – Jitendra – is derived from Sanskrit and it means “one who has control of his senses.” For the most part, I felt I lived up to this but while running my previous startup I found myself miserable and losing control.

On the outside, I had it all together. I owned successful companies, had tons of friends and a great family. I had everything I wanted and worked so hard for … but despite all of that, I had thoughts running like trains in my head I could not control, I was not sleeping well, not exercising enough, counting the days to my next break and feeling like there was more to life. There was something that I was missing. You know what I mean?

I felt sad and depressed pretty much every day. My eating habits were terrible and all my efforts to improve fell flat. My mind circled in unhealthy thought patterns that I just couldn’t stop.

I didn’t feel good in my body, I didn’t feel good in my mind, and I didn’t feel good in my life.

Now, I’m originally from India. Of course I had heard about Yoga since I was a child. Even here in America, Yoga is a big deal. A regular Yoga practice creates peace, drastically increases health and well-being and can even help you to lose weight.

These were all the things I desperately needed.

But, despite knowing all that, I didn’t want to go to a yoga studio! I was out of shape, totally inflexible and just plain self-conscious.

My old friend, who lived in India and practiced Yoga everyday, said the best way to learn yoga was the classic Guru–shishya relationship that has been passed down for generations. To put this in modern terms (and to pass on the outdated “guru” idea), this meant having a connection with a teacher to learn from directly. A teacher who could get to know me and my unique struggles. My friend offered to find someone for me and I agreed.

He delivered!!!

He found me Pranjal, a yoga teacher with 8 years of teaching experience and 1,600 hours of certified teacher training! Yes, you read that correctly – a whopping 1,600 hours of training.

But, she lived in Pune, India and I was in California! So we decided to try practicing through video calls.

I was skeptical – Yoga is a physical thing! Was she going to see me well? Would she be able to tell how I was doing and give me the guidance I needed? I was just starting out and was going to need A LOT of help.

But Pranjal was amazing!

She helped me build the strength and flexibility to perform the postures really well. She guided me towards realistic goals. I could feel and notice the improvement in each session.

The flexibility, strength and ability to meet challenging postures in my yoga practice was spilling into my mental health as well.

I was happier, calmer and able to make healthier decisions (and stick to them). I was losing weight and the stress from building my businesses practically vanished. I still get stressed but I don’t take it home with me.

After a few months, I felt ready to go practice in a yoga studio…

What. A. Disappointment!!!

After all the 1-on-1 personal attention I was getting from Pranjal, it was a bitter experience to finally feel ready to practice in public. The teacher had no time to focus on me.

Yeah, she would do (MAYBE) one correction during the class. But nothing more. She didn’t KNOW my body the way Pranjal did. She didn’t help me to set goals or work toward them. She didn’t change the pace of the class when I felt ready to

In the group classes, I was just another one of 30 people the teacher needed to keep track of.

After a few classes of that, I sprinted back to Pranjal!

But something was off…with all my tech skills and entrepreneurial spirit, I needed to share this with other people. I knew there were tons of people too busy to go to a studio, too shy to practice in front of others. People who need and want the 1-on-1 personal attention that will help them to progress, heal, and grow fast!

I knew there were so many people out there ready and waiting for yoga to transform their lives.

With a team of amazing people, I started myYogaTeacher to improve physical and mental well being of the entire planet. To help empower you to take positive steps forward in your life. And even to heal the symptoms of pain and illness that we’ve seen yoga heal.

Sound’s big, doesn’t it?

It’s a bold mission, but I also know that our teachers have the power to make it a reality for every one of our students. So I brought together a team of awesome engineers to start working on myYogaTeacher.

But, most importantly, I hired a group of scouts in India to find the best yoga teachers in the country.

After 8 months of hard work, it’s time for the big test! We launched recently and I am so excited to see this venture grow. I value all of my businesses, but helping people improve their physical and mental health through a personal connection to one of the best Yoga teachers of the East is close to my heart.

I genuinely hope you try and enjoy your time with myYogaTeacher. We would sincerely love to hear from you. Email us, call us or chat with us through the app.

Your friends in growth, health and wellbeing!