Gaia boosts yoga content with acquisition

LOUISVILLE — Streaming video provider Gaia Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA) is stretching its ability to provide viewers with yoga content with a deal to acquire digital platform Yoga International Inc. 

The cash and stock deal is worth $18.5 million, according to a disclosure filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Launched in 1991 as a print magazine, YI has since evolved into a web-video content company that will bring 4,000 hours of unique yoga content to Gaia’s library.

“Over 250,000 of our members globally practice yoga on Gaia, while also enjoying our broader content offerings,” Gaia CEO Paul Tarell said in a prepared statement. “As we continue to create and find meaningful content, increase subscribers, and grow internationally, we are excited to welcome the Yoga International community to Gaia. We look forward to carrying on the legacy that Yoga International and the Himalayan Institute have built over the decades. Like Gaia, they have celebrated the practice of yoga as more than purely a physical pursuit while connecting back to the deeper roots of yoga traditions.”

YI was formed by the Pennsylvania-based Himalayan Institute, which offers yogic retreats, seminars and certifications. 

“We are pleased that Yoga International has found its new home with Gaia. As a leader in consciousness-expanding media, including online yoga content, Gaia shares Yoga International’s passion for empowering its members’ personal growth,” Himalayan Institute CEO Ishan Tigunait said in a prepared statement. “Yoga has transformed from a niche discipline into a culturally relevant, conscious lifestyle, and is the quintessential embodiment of wellness in the 21st century. The Himalayan Institute is excited to transition stewardship of Yoga International to Gaia and looks forward to the positive impact Gaia will have on the world as it continues to share the practice of yoga worldwide.”

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