Yoga is the secret to Rakul Preet Singh’s sanity!
If lack of time is your biggest excuse for skipping a fitness regime, you’ve got to know what Rakul Preet Singh has to say to you! On International Yoga Day 2022, the popular actress and yoga enthusiast spoke to Health Shots about what appeals her most about this age-old practice which has been life-altering for her.
It was four years ago that Rakul began her tryst with yoga and it took her just a week to fall in love with the wholesome health benefits of yoga for the mind, body and soul. Like most millennials would tend to think, even Rakul had her preconceived notions about the slow pace of yoga.
What led to a change of mindset for this adrenaline junkie? What are her favourite yoga postures? How has yoga altered her life? Know it all from Rakul Preet Singh in this Health Shots exclusive interview for International Yoga Day 2022!
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. How and when did your tryst with yoga begin?
You will be surprised to know that I wasn’t a yoga person at all. My journey of yoga began almost about 4 years back when I met Anshuka Parwani, who is a very close friend and yoga instructor. I told her than I’m an adrenaline junkie who loves her HIIT sessions. But she was like, ‘Just come’. Within 5-6 classes, I just got so addicted to yoga. A lot of times, it’s about finding the right teacher. Anshuka made me fall in love with yoga and for the first time, I understood that yoga is not just a workout, but it’s about connecting with yourself and for your mental sanity. It’s about starting your day on a positive note with all your Chakras aligned! I love yoga now.
Q. How is it different from your gym workouts?
For me, yoga was not just about doing Surya Namaskars but it was also pushing your body beyond what it was ready to easily get pushed to. When you do inversions, the way your blood rushes to your head and the kind of adrenaline you feel after that, is completely different from what you feel in the gym. To all those people who find yoga boring, I want to say that it has a lot of benefits.
I’ve personally used yoga to get my blood work function normally. My blood pressure was a little bit here and there, though nothing off the charts, but yoga helped to fix it. If women are aware, they can use yoga for so many things. To all beginners, I would just say that go as a blank slate, and let your teacher guide you. Once you find a teacher who finds your body rhythm, it will become interesting!
Q. Any major changes that you felt after making yoga a way of life?
Healthy would be a good way to put it (how I feel), because fit has many different ways of looking at it. Yoga is about pushing your body to be extremely flexible. But for me, the biggest change was that yoga became my sanity… when the world is so cluttered and when you are actually in that rut of working non-stop with so much noise around you. That one-hour morning session where your only sound is of your own breath, and when you finish your yogic practice with a breathing practice – whether it is Pranayam or Kapalbhati- that, for me, was amazing! I knew I could take the day on with anything! That no matter what… I wouldn’t get stressed. It helps you balance your mind and have that balance of mind, body and soul very beautifully.
Q. You do a lot of aerial yoga. Tell us about it!
I love aerial yoga. When you’re suspended in the air, you can engage your core while doing yoga. Secondly, the way you can achieve inversions through aerial yoga is great. When the blood to your brain, it feels so good… it makes you feel so rejuvenated. Aerial yoga also makes you push your stretching ability a lot more.
Check out: 5 celebs who swear by aerial yoga
Q. You once said, “Yoga is not for the flexible, it is for the willing’. Can you elucidate?
It’s the same as where there’s a will there’s a way. People say they don’t have time for fitness. I say you should find time, because if you don’t find time for yourself, you can never do it! If you are truly willing to see a change in your body, in your mental ability and just your capacity to be able to work at full optimal energy levels, to maximise your day, you will push yourself. It’s very easy to say ‘Time nahin hai yaar’, ‘Arre bahut busy hain yaar’. But my question is ‘Kiske liye busy ho?’ If you cannot find out 20 or 30 minutes for yourself, what are you going to do with that money or work when your body gives up?
Besides, yoga is such a healing way of working out that if you practice it even 20-30 minutes a day, and do 10 asanas or Surya Namaskars, it will contribute towards a healthier lifestyle.
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