We all know how Yoga's holistic approach is why it has a universal appeal and is hailed as the best form of exercise. That's why - even today after years of its invention, we keep coming up with so many interesting variations of this ancient form of exercise. Vinod Channa who has been training celebrities for the last 24 years believes that yoga works for them because, “their work profile demands high-impact movement, dance, long-working hours and sudden jerk movements.
They require more mobility, flexibility, agility, speed, and mind-body coordination with strength - all of this comes from yoga asanas and pranayama. Even when they are working on a six pack or a beach body, to reach that level, they need hardcore workout with nutrition but at the same time, they need the agility that only yoga can give. Yoga also helps in avoiding injury like muscle wear and tear, joint dislocation and can be performed for a long time without restriction of age, lifestyle or medical conditions.”
Adding further, celeb trainer Anshuka Parwani says, “Most celebrities have an erratic lifestyle which means irregular sleep patterns, food timings, a lot of stress and pressure - yoga is such an internal practice rather than an external one that it helps them to not only to stay fit but also to make them stay calm, especially in times when they have high pressure shots and are stressed out completely. It also stems from their wanting to lean towards meditating - to keep calm and stay focused. Overall, yoga helps to keep the internal factory healthy.”
On International Yoga Day, we give you a lowdown on what's trending in the celeb world of yoga
App-tly fit
Bollywood's official yogini Shilpa Shetty is on a mission to make India fit. The 44-year-old actress can give some of the 20-year-olds a run for their money when it comes to flexibility, toned figure, flawless skin and lustrous hair. While she often shares fitness tips on social media, has come out with DVDs and books, Shetty has now come up with her an app to reach out to the masses. At its promotional event, Shetty performed complex asanas and its photos are breaking the internet. Channa adds, “Shetty has consistently worked hard to reach her target after delivery (she had put on 34kgs). She is in a much better shape and is stronger than what she was in her 20s and is able to do handstand and headstand without much efforts.
SAI DHANSHIKA
Yoga a stressbuster
I always engage myself in a lot of activities because I like to challenge myself just to see how capable I am. Regardless of whatever activities I do - let it be swimming, dancing, martial arts, silambam or gymnastics - I always come back to doing yoga. The reason being when I'm in the flow of yoga, it eases out my body and mind from tensions. It's a stressbuster for me. As a person, my behaviour has also changed over the years. I have been doing yoga for the past 8 years. If I had not started that early, I'm not sure that I'd be the person that I am today.
GANESH VENKATRAMAN
Truly Transformative
In our lives, we are all running towards one goal - to be happy. We do a lot of hard work, compromise on anything which would make us happy. Have we achieved what we wanted? No! We missed one important thing. Our inner happiness and inner wellbeing! To get that inner happiness, our ancestors have found this science called ‘Yoga’. You will improve in self-awareness, mental sharpness, health, fitness, energy levels and more importantly emotional stability. You can handle any kind of situation when you practice yoga. Follow Yoga and your life will be truly transformed.
BHUMIKA CHAWLA
Gives me mental peace
Yoga gives me mental peace and energy. Yoga is a mental, physical and spiritual practice. It's something that whenever I have followed it I have felt peaceful, flexible and more energetic. It is not just the practice of asanas that helps, it's having a deep pranayama process - the breath- that is LIFE. It's a practise I wish to get deeper into at some point.
NAMITHA
Yoga is like poetry to me
Yoga to me is something that's a fine balance between what to control and what to surrender. I am still new to yoga, but I am starting to fall in love with it. It's teaching my body to dance and bend and twist on its own rhythm freely. Since I have always been into weightlifting and boxing, it took some time for me to calm my mind, slow down my heart rate and listen to my body differently. Without any loud music, just follow my heartbeat in peace in every posture.
It's more like poetry to me, once I start yoga I find it difficult to stop. I am positive that within a few months I will be able to attain the flexibility that I want and become a Yogini.
That’s what motivated her to start fitness app with Yoga, Workout and Nutrition being the three pillars as they go hand in hand. In India, even if the best fitness expert with certification, experience and knowledge comes with a app, people will blindly follow a celeb instead. Which is why I am glad that Shilpa has come up with the app where she can share our knowledge and expertise to the world.”
Couple goals
Sushmita Sen and boyfriend Rohman Shawl are setting new trends on social media and taking the bar of love a notch higher with their couple yoga pose. That photo is a reflection of how a good relationship is a result of ‘balance of trust and mutual respect’. In one of their videos, Sushmita can be seen comfortably stationed on Rohman’s body in a very difficult ‘elevated cat and camel’ pose. Sush captioned the video as, ‘To train with a partner, is to know the alignment of energies!!! It’s like creating in unison a way of balance, trust, authentic strength and mutual respect! It’s impossible not to fall in love with the idea of sharing both the struggle and achievements!!! Elevated cat and camel yeah! how I love training with you jaan @rohmanshawl pure magic!! #sharing #partner #team #ourdiscipline I love you guys. (sic).
Sharing a similar video, she wrote, “Faithfully balanced & gracefully synchronised, Life is #poetry with you #birthdayboy ‘WE’ for Victory!!! Keep smiling always!!! I love you @rohmanshawl #duggadugga #happybirthday mmuuuaaah.”(sic).
Inverted fun
Bollywood’s favourite diva and the undisputed queen of fitness Kareena Kapoor Khan is an inspiration to all. Her yoga postures are a killer. Recently, an Instagram fan page of Kareena posted a smoking hot collage of her practicing yoga where she nailed some of the most difficult yoga poses, right from headstand to chakrasana - in the perfect bebo style! From her size-zero Tashan days to her post-pregnancy weight loss - she constantly reminds us that nothing is impossible. Parwani who has trained bebo for over a decade found it easy to work with her post-delivery too. “She was back on the mat in two weeks after delivery and we started with pranayams to focus on the breath work and streamline the hormones. Next came the strengthening of the core and inversions to stimulate the thyroid gland and regulate the hormones. Inversions are easier because you are suspended from your hips: there are no compression on your spine or neck, when you are being suspended in the air. I have seen how Kareena has grown to be so much aware of her body: she knows it best. The FlyFit hammock helped Kareena with postnatal yoga as it’s not easy for anyone to do a headstand, shoulder stand or inversions due of lack of strength at that time. Also when one is working against gravity, it gives more strength and flexibility,” says Parwani.
