CEO Insights India

Tormented due to hectic work-life balance, people are often advised to find solace in yoga and meditations, which can not only take care of their physical strength and stability, but also ensures peace of mind and soul. Emerging as a trendsetter of the fitness industry, Chow Siddhartha is popularly acknowledged and appreciated for familiarizing yoga and mindfulness as a medium to drain stress and strain, and enriching individuals with mental peace across the corporate arena. At the age of 13, Chow Siddhartha was introduced to Yoga and Mindfulness Sciences in a Buddhist monastery, where he stayed for six years under the guidance of the late venerable Wannasara Mahathera, a Buddhist scholar and highly respected Buddhist monk of upper Assam. His passion for yoga and mindfulness sciences led him to establish a premium institution across this arena which goes by the name Siddhartha Yoga and aims at promoting health, wellness and stress management through the ancient science of yoga and mindfulness.

Engaging in an exclusive interaction with CEO Insights Chow highlights the exclusiveness of his journey to make a positive difference to society through yoga and mindfulness.

Give us a brief detail about your educational & professional background and how has it helped you in your journey so far?
When I was 13 years old, a Buddhist monk came to my house to perform my father’s funeral ceremony. After the ceremony was over, he asked my mother, “You have five sons, can you give me one son?” Mother obliged and sent me to his monastery, where I stayed for six years. I had the privilege to study Buddhist texts, recite Pali verses, and practice mindfulness meditation & yoga during my stay in the monastery. Then I studied Yoga at Vivekananda Kendra, Dibrugarh for five years and SVYASA Yoga University, Bangalore for seven

years completing my Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor and Master’s degree courses in Yoga. Presently, I am also in the process of completing my PhD in Yoga. So, I have been pursuing the practice of Yoga for 30 years now.

Enlighten us on the inspiration that led to the inception of Siddhartha Yoga? What different roles have you been undertaking at Siddhartha Yoga?
I was keen on combining Yogic practices with mindfulness sciences, and this led to the inception of Siddhartha Yoga - the path of ‘Siddhartha becoming the Buddha’. The aim is to help people live a healthy life at physical, mental and spiritual levels using the power of Yoga and Mindfulness. At Siddhartha Yoga, I have been a mentor, a teacher, a leader and a friend in helping various people overcome their personal health issues, designing programs with maximum impact on the health of the participants (CEOs,corporate executives, employees, general public and others) and training and guiding fellow yoga teachers to become better instructors and benefit professionally as well.

What are the different factors about your company’s offerings that make your company standout from your competitors? Explain your USP.
Our USP has been to ‘Heal the Core’ of our participants through Siddhartha Yoga. We not only encourage our participants to identify the root cause of their health problems/challenges, but also enable them in solving their problems holistically. With people becoming more open to online classes, the pandemic-induced restrictions have given us more opportunities to scale-up our presence.

Please tell us about the membership packages you offer to your clients and their benefits? What are the different kinds of courses and the training you offer to the clients?
According to the demands and necessities of our clients, we

customize the Corporate Yoga program, and under this umbrella, we offer corporate Yoga courses for Wellness, Stress Management, Immunity Building, Improving Focus & Concentration, Weight Loss, Diabetes Management, Hypertension & Heart Disease Management, Musculoskeletal Disorders Management, Anxiety & Depression Management and so many other yoga courses for different health requirements. The benefits include lifetime support.

In your opinion, what are the major factors contributing to Siddhartha Yoga’s success story? How has the organization charted out its roadmap for the future?
A clear understanding of the client’s needs makes all the difference. We take into account the client’s problems, time constraints, causes of stress and other aspects. Therefore, we could help many distinguished individuals optimize their health, wellness and performance, some of them being Group Chairman of GMR Group, President & CEO of Fanuc India PVT LTD, MD & CEO of INFOSYS, President & MD of Texas Instruments, Miss Singapore, The Indian Cricket Players (Under 19 and Ranji Trophy), Film Actors and many others. We have also helped the employees of many distinguished organizations, including Royal Bank of Scotland, General Motors, ERNST & YOUNG, Taj Group of Hotels, Deutsche Bank, Samsung, Dell Global, Ericsson, Fanuc India, Reliance Capital, Target India, Capita, Blue Jean, and GE Appliances. Our goal is to create a community of Siddhartha Yoga practitioners with lifetime relationships. There is a strong focus on mindfulness practices along with yoga practices to help participants deal with their mental states and hence promote psycho-somatic health.

Chow Siddhartha, MD
A practitioner of Yoga & Mindfulness Sciences for the last 30 years, Chow received his initial training in Yoga and Mindfulness sciences when he was at a Buddhist Monastery for six years during his childhood. He holds certificates for Diploma, Bachelor and Master Degree courses in Yoga from SVYASA Yoga University, Bangalore, and at present, he is in the process of completing his PhD in Yoga from the same university

Hobby:Reading, Travelling, Yoga, Mindfulness Meditation

Favourite Book:The Light of Asia by Sir Edwin Arnold