Archive · 28 Oct 2025
IITian Switches Career to Yoga, Now Teaches 7.5 Lakhs Live
Imagine a smart student who went to a top engineering school called IIT.
Instead of becoming an engineer, he decided to teach yoga because he was inspired by his family and a wise teacher named Swami Vivekananda.
At first, he taught for free during a big lockdown, and not many people came.
His parents worried, but he learned to charge a small fee so people would take it seriously.
Then, he started teaching online, and one day, so many people joined that it became a huge success!
He has now set many world records for having the most people join his online yoga and meditation classes.
He even changed his teaching style because his own mother told him to make it simpler for people like her, especially busy moms.
Now, his company has hundreds of employees, and he still teaches every day, inspiring many to live healthier lives.
Saurabh Bothra, an IIT graduate, left a stable career to teach yoga.
He has achieved six world records for virtual yoga and meditation sessions.
His online classes have reached over 1.26 million students in 169 countries.
A turning point came when his mother advised him to simplify yoga for women, leading to a focus on accessible practices.
His startup, Habuild, now employs over 300 people and aims to create livelihoods while promoting well-being.
- Who
- Saurabh Bothra, an IIT graduate and founder of Habuild
- What
- Switched from a corporate career to teaching yoga, achieving global recognition and multiple world records.
- When
- Started free online yoga sessions during the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, with major growth and record-setting in subsequent years, including 2023, 2024, and 2025.
- Where
- Globally, with participants joining live from 169 countries.
- Why
- Inspired by his grandfather's legacy of service and Swami Vivekananda's teachings, Saurabh sought to help people through yoga, evolving his mission from a desire to create jobs to a passion for healing.
- Founder
- Saurabh Bothra
- Education
- IIT Graduate
- Startup
- Habuild
- World Records
- 6
- Largest Live Yoga Session
- 752,074 participants (International Yoga Day 2025)
- Largest Virtual Meditation Class
- 287,711 participants
- Most Viewers (YouTube Live Stream)
- 246,252 participants (January 2024)