In an interview with Digital Trends, CEO Mike Maser said that adding yoga to FitStar’s curriculum just made sense. After all, Maser says a quarter of a billion people practice yoga worldwide and it’s a $25 billion industry in the U.S. alone. Many Americans love yoga, so there’s already a huge user base just waiting to be tapped. Maser says FitStar’s goal is to make yoga even more accessible and popular.
“We want to open up and democratize the yoga market, to expand the accessibility of yoga to everyone.”
“We’ve worked hard to make our curriculum flow more like a yoga class,” Maser tells us. “We want to maintain the ethos of yoga, while making it more accessible to beginners.”
The workouts will range in difficulty, from beginner status to expert levels. FitStar’s special algorithm and feedback feature will help ensure that users don’t get overwhelmed by intense routines or bored with those that are just too easy.
“Our yoga curriculum will appeal to a very broad audience and keep everyone engaged because the curriculum grows and changes with you,” Maser says. “Yoga is a great exercise in and of itself, but many people use it to augment their other exercise routines. It also has mental benefits.”
The main advantage to using FitStar, as opposed to a video or attending a weekly class, is that the workout is personalized to suit your specific needs and pace. According to FitStar’s findings, Maser tells us there are three main reasons why people don’t take up yoga: the cost, lack of convenience, and the intimidation factor.
“It can be really expensive to go to a weekly yoga class,” Maser says. “It’s hard to schedule it in, too, and then maybe you go to the wrong class, or you’re just nervous about starting yoga in general – it can be tough.”
Yoga memberships can number into the hundreds of dollars each year, but FitStar costs just $50 a year and the workouts are unlimited. Users can also choose the time and place for their workouts, making it much more convenient than a typical class.
“We want to open up and democratize the yoga market, to expand the accessibility of yoga to everyone,” Maser said.
To do so, FitStar enlisted Stiles, a famous yoga instructor from New York City. FitStar is already known for its first celebrity trainer and former NFL star, Tony Gonzalez. The company firmly believes that receiving workout advice from superstars that you admire is a huge motivator for users. It’s also a very good idea because fitness stars typically have devoted followings who will try out the app.
As the founder and owner of Strala Yoga, Stiles certainly has a lot of fans. FitStar is very excited to have her onboard.
“She’s made it a movement and she’s made it accessible to a lot of people,” Maser says.
For her own part, Stiles couldn’t be more excited.
“We share a mission of inspiring people to live healthier lives,” Stiles says in a press release, announcing the partnership. “The genius of FitStar Yoga is that it allows for a highly effective and comprehensive yoga experience that’s flexible and accessible.”
Yoga will come to FitStar’s iOS apps this fall. Maser also says that the company plans to integrate FitStar into iOS 8’s HealthKit, but says nothing is official yet.
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