The Millionaire, Millennial Yogi While there is no dearth of yogis especially in India, 27-year-old Sarvesh Shashi created a countrywide empire with a network of yoga studios named 'Sarva'
By Priyadarshini Patwa •
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Yoga is like an elaborate musical composition that requires the perfect orchestra team when you plan to turn it into a business. It needs someone who understands the rhythm of your body, the narrative of your mind, and the cords that create life. While there is no dearth of yogis especially in India, 27-year-old Sarvesh Shashi created a countrywide empire with a network of yoga studios named "Sarva'.
Sarva, which means "all' in Sanskrit, started with a vision to make yoga a lifestyle. Yoga is a journey of finding oneself and Shashi managed to do it when he came across his guru. Shashi—who initially wanted to be a cricketer—changed the course of his ship when he was introduced to yoga at the age of 17. Having lived the journey, he decided to spread the knowledge and create a vital difference.
"Motivated by the zeal to seek enlightenment and find my true calling, I took up five sadhanas under the guidance of the guru. Initially, I struggled but with continuous practice and belief in yoga, I finally defeated the 3As in his life—arrogance, anger, and attitude," he said.
Yoga has the power to give you more life per breath. Zorba, later rebranded as Sarva, began in 2013 with three studios in Chennai. Ever since it has grown to 46 studios across five cities in India. The chain aims to build a global community of physically, mentally and emotionally fit individuals.
But any business is incomplete if you can't see the soul of the maker in it. The passion and ardor of Shashi was such that he attracted global investors spanning across Hollywood, Bollywood, sports and business. From Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Malaika Arora, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Kapoor to Aishwaryaa R. Dhanush and David Giampaolo, money flooded in from various personalities.
What was interesting to see is how each one of them shared the same synergy in driving a cultural change and make yoga-based wellness a part of the modern lifestyle. "Each one of them aims to encourage more individuals, especially those under the age of 35, towards mindful and holistic wellness which aligned with what Sarva has in mind," Shashi said.
Entering 2020, the company is already looking at an annualized run rate of $4.3 million by March. Shashi, who is being called "millennials' yogi', is loving every bit of his work and feels humble about the way his company is growing.
"It feels wonderful for me to know that I can help, in breaking these stereotypes. In my opinion, we should have yogis across millennials, Gen X, Gen Z, and the further generations as well," he added.
