Hui Lan Zhang facts for kids

Hui Lan Zhang, also known as Wai Lana, is a famous yoga teacher. She is known all over the world for helping many people learn about yoga. In China, she is even called the "mother of yoga." This is because she helped make yoga very popular there in the 1980s and 1990s. Wai Lana has written many books about yoga and has a long-running TV show.

Spreading Yoga Worldwide

Wai Lana has helped share yoga with millions of people. She has done this through her TV shows, music, and books. Her goal is to help everyone live a healthier and happier life.

Yoga on Television

Wai Lana created her TV show, Wai Lana Yoga, for public television in the United States. This show started airing in 1998 and is still on TV today. It has been on for over 18 years. This makes it the longest-running fitness series ever on public television.

Her show has also been seen in many other countries. It has aired on five different continents. These include North and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Earlier, in 1985, China Central Television also broadcast her yoga series. It was called Yoga: Exercise Methods for One’s Body and Mind.

Books and Products

To help more people learn yoga, Wai Lana also sells many products. These include music CDs and yoga DVDs. She also has other items that support a yoga lifestyle. You can find these online and in stores.

Besides her yoga books, she has written two cookbooks. These are Wai Lana's Favorite Juices and Wai Lana's Favorite Soups. She also created an Easy Meditation for Everyone Kit. For younger children, she has special yoga products. These include Wai Lana’s Little Yogis Daydream Kit and Fun Songs Cartoon & CD. She also has Little Yogis DVDs & Books.

Music and Videos

In 2015, Wai Lana made a special music video called Namaste. She created it to celebrate the very first International Day of Yoga. This day is celebrated every year on June 21. Wai Lana wrote the Namaste song to share important yoga ideas. These ideas are about being kind and loving to everyone.

The Namaste video was shown at a big event. This event was held by the United Nations in New York City. It was also streamed live to many thousands of yoga fans. These fans had gathered in Times Square. Her Namaste video has been watched and listened to over 4 million times.

In 2016, Wai Lana released a new short film and music video. It was called Alive Forever. She released it to honor the second annual International Day of Yoga.

Awards and Recognition

Wai Lana has received special honors for her work. These awards show how much she has helped spread yoga around the world.

Padma Shri Award

In 2016, the Government of India gave Wai Lana a very important award. It is called the Padma Shri Award. This award is given for amazing achievements. Wai Lana received it for making yoga popular globally. She did this through her TV series, videos, and books. She is only the second person from China to ever receive this honor. The award has been given for 62 years.

Personal Life

Wai Lana is married to Chris Butler.