Chapter 176 - 129: Hatha Yoga

Reading the cheerful comments from netizens, Chen Jue was in high spirits.

His simple act had inadvertently changed the fates of many, and netizens were showering his heroic deed with high praise.

As these positive comments piled up, the effects quickly became apparent on Chen Jue’s video account.

Riding this wave of popularity, Brother of Special Skills’s total online follower count was steadily increasing. It had already passed the five million mark a few days ago, and he estimated that by the time the hype died down, he might even be able to push for eight million, or perhaps even break ten million.

And as new followers poured in, his older "special skill" videos were being constantly rediscovered and rewatched by netizens.

The view count in his creator dashboard skyrocketed. Newcomers were constantly topping up accounts to send donations and subscribing for sponsorships. Chen Jue’s backend revenue began to tick up nonstop. Almost every time he refreshed the page, his balance would jump by a few yuan, or even tens of yuan.

This was the business of traffic in the internet age—something unimaginable for those with ordinary jobs in the past.

However, Chen Jue was more than happy to respond to his followers’ demands for new content. After all, these goofy netizens, who were always looking for new videos to watch while eating or new online drama to follow for entertainment, were his bread and butter. He had to satisfy their calls for more updates.

And so, after posting a "new video this weekend" announcement on his feed, Chen Jue logged off.

As for live streaming, which could be more profitable, Chen Jue wasn’t too keen on getting into it.

The live-streaming industry was a double-edged sword. If he streamed too often and it turned into a thinly veiled sales pitch, his fans would likely accuse him of being a sellout just trying to cash in.

Besides, "special skills" weren’t something you could just conjure up on demand. They required a spark of inspiration and creativity.

If he just kept live-streaming the same Darts trick he’d already shown, his audience would quickly get tired of it.

’Just sticking to a weekly update schedule is fine.’

’Tens of thousands in revenue from a single video... that’s incredible over a year. Making a few million a year feels like it would be a breeze.’ Chen Jue thought, setting a small goal for his side hustle.

...

After returning to his apartment for a nap, he slept exceptionally well. He figured it was because receiving the commemorative banner that morning had given him a deep sense of accomplishment.

By the time he woke up, it was already 2:00 PM, and the [Mild Fatigue] status on his panel hadn’t faded. Since he couldn’t do any high-intensity, strenuous exercise in this state, Chen Jue drove to a few of the yoga studios he had looked up earlier.

He spent some time visiting each one and finally settled on the one with the best atmosphere, Yiling Yoga. He spent 8,888 yuan on a high-level VIP package that allowed him to attend large group classes as well as book private sessions.

The package also came with two sets of men’s yoga attire. Chen Jue went to the locker room, changed into one of the outfits, and planned to attend the beginner yoga class that afternoon.

According to the sales consultant’s introduction, there were many schools of yoga, but they could be broadly categorized into two types: modern and classical. Most yoga studios taught modern yoga.

For a beginner like Chen Jue, the most suitable style was Hatha yoga, which was the foundation of all modern yoga schools.

However, yoga had seen a slight decline in popularity in recent years, making way for another trending Western exercise: Pilates.

It was just like the Qi Gong and Kung Fu crazes in Huaxia’s past; once the hype died down, a new trend would emerge to capture the market. As a result, most yoga studios now offered Pilates classes as well.

After looking over some introductory materials in the studio lobby, Chen Jue saw it was time for class and entered the large group classroom.

Since it was a weekday afternoon, the class wasn’t very crowded. However, Chen Jue noticed that almost everyone was a woman; he was the only man in a class of over thirty people.

The class was taught by a pretty instructor in her thirties. Her physique was slender and supple, and while her voice wasn’t loud, it had a calming, serene quality, like a gentle spring breeze.

’It seems like everyone who practices yoga has this kind of aura. There must be something special to it.’ Chen Jue thought, finding a yoga mat and sitting down.

The instructor began to speak. "Good afternoon, everyone. I’ll be your instructor for today. My surname is Cheng, so you can just call me Teacher Cheng or Coach Cheng."

"Today, our class will focus on the basics of Hatha yoga. Since we have a new student joining us, I’ll start with a brief introduction. Its full name, Hatha Yoga, comes from an ancient system of yoga translated from the Sanskrit of Ancient India. The name itself is a transliteration."

"The word ’Ha’ represents the sun, and ’tha’ represents the moon. From the sun and moon, we derive concepts of opposing balance: masculine and feminine, yin and yang, day and night, hot and cold. Through yoga, we aim to bring the body’s strength and flexibility into a similar state of balance."

"You should know, most people have a major stereotype about yoga. They think it’s just simple stretching, something mainly for women. But that’s not the case at all."

"Broadly speaking, yoga is an extremely complex system of practice, involving physical postures to regulate the body, breathing techniques to regulate the breath, and meditation to regulate the mind."

After this theoretical introduction, the practical part of the lesson began.

Coach Cheng started by demonstrating a peculiar cross-legged pose on her mat, her knees nearly flat against it. With her back perfectly straight, she faced her students and said, "Everyone, try to follow me and do this first basic movement."

"Coach, what if I can’t get my knees that low?" Chen Jue asked, raising his hand.

He’d discovered as soon as he tried to imitate the pose that it was beyond him. Lacking the necessary flexibility, he could cross his legs, but there was no way he could press his knees down to touch the mat.

Meanwhile, the other women in the class seemed to be doing it with ease; with just a little effort, they could all press down into a similar cross-legged pose.

"Sir, your knees are higher than your pelvis! That’s because your hips are tight and haven’t released, so you can’t get them level."

"This happens because of a chronic posterior pelvic tilt, which puts a lot of pressure on your lumbar spine." After explaining, Coach Cheng got up, grabbed a yoga block, and had Chen Jue place it under his seat.

With the help of the yoga block, Chen Jue was finally able to get his knees below the level of his pelvis.

At the same time, a few of the female students who were also struggling asked Coach Cheng for yoga blocks.

According to Coach Cheng’s explanation, modern people, both men and women, often develop issues like anterior pelvic tilt and protruding lumbar spines from long hours of desk work. Yoga could provide significant relief and improvement for these conditions.

Chen Jue listened and followed along. From the initial cross-legged pose to closing his eyes for Meditation, and then coordinating his rhythmic breathing, he felt an unusual tranquility as his mind and body relaxed and released their tension.

’Daoists and Monks have similar sitting meditation practices. There’s really something to this posture,’ Chen Jue marveled internally.

As he listened to the soothing music in the classroom and Coach Cheng’s instruction, time slipped by. After sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed for a while, Chen Jue was surprised to see a new notification pop up on his panel:

——————

[Ding!]

[You have completed a qualifying mind-body exercise. You have mastered a special breathing rhythm. Your Spirit and willpower have been properly relaxed, which in turn has affected the operational efficiency of your body’s organs and tissues.]

[Accumulated lactic acid in your muscles has been rapidly purged. Your body’s metabolic rate has decreased. Your brain has entered a specific low-frequency operational state.]

[Spirit Attribute +0.01]

[Skill Activated: Meditation]