Deepak Chopra launches Jiyo, a wellness-focused mobile app

Deepak Chopra, a leading figure in the alternative health movement, is moving into the mobile app business with the launch of Jiyo.

Chopra and his co-founder Poonacha Machaiah have been talking about Jiyo for a while, but today the app is generally available on iOS and Android.

We got a quick demo yesterday, with Machaiah explaining that one of the goals is “no typing”. Using data from the sensors in your phone and other fitness devices, Jiyo gives you tips for brief tasks that are supposed to improve your well-being, like doing a stretch after a long flight, or meditations and other routines that might improve your sleep if you haven’t been sleeping well.

The app includes social features, plus content from health and wellness experience like Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Mark Human, Kimberly Snyder and Eddie Stern. In addition, Jiyo is partnering with Gallup to offer a StrengthsFinder that helps users identify and reinforce their personal strengths, and it’s partnering with Mindbody to offer access to a wellness-related classes and activities.

jiyo-color-correct

Chopra said he’s hoping Jiyo can extend the reach of his ideas from millions of people to more than one billion.

“I’ve always had this idea, I don’t know why, but the idea was that if I could reach a billion people and help them personally transform, we would have social transformation,” he said. “Because society is a function of a critical mass of people with similar intent. If I want a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier and happier world, then we have to be the change we want to see in the world, as Mahatma Gandhi said.”

Jiyo is free, but it will include recommendations and options for purchasing outside products and services, and it will eventually add paid, premium features, Machaiah said.