Yoga is a science

There was a time when people had only heard about Yoga. Now people have started practising it. Now, even many foreigners are promoting Yogasanas. Yoga is from India but it has become global.

— Shilpa Shetty

Fitness is not about achieving a specific figure; it is about building strength and feeling good. Many people have seen my post-pregnancy and post-delivery weight loss journey. They ask me, ‘How did you do that?’ I consider it the biggest compliment that people get inspired by me and I act as a catalyst for them. I started promoting Yoga through my book and my YouTube channel. Actually, I had started it much earlier, 13 years ago, through Yoga DVDs but then I started doing it more effectively.

Health awareness

The special feature of my app is that it has been made with the help of experts. It includes Yoga, dance, meditation and dietary advice. It creates public awareness about wellness. It motivates everyone to live a healthy life. I also tell people how to prepare different dishes. It is easy to tell people, ‘Eat this or eat that’ but it is also important to tell them how to prepare that. The app has other programmes like weight loss, diabetes control, immunity booster and weight loss after delivery among others. There are many women-centric programmes including Yoga to reduce menstrual pain. I take pride in the fact that mine is India’s first Yoga-based celebrity app. One thing I want to say here is that we do not record anything, so it is safe to use. I request you to download this app. You can use it for free for the first month.

Mental and physical health is important

These days, everyone is running after their goals. I have a very simple view. We are the soul; our body is the vehicle and the mind is the driver. We can stand erect only if all these are in harmony. The soul will not be happy if the driver and the vehicle are not in good condition. It is here that Yoga helps us, which is why I ask people to practise Yoga. People these days are running as if they are participating in a competition. In the post-Covid era, there is a phase in which many have gone into depression. The mind is saying something and so is the body. Our soul is not happy. Because we have lost a lot — people, health, jobs… And that has made us negative. I would tell people to take Yoga seriously. Yoga will help put our disturbed mental and physical health in order.

Treasures from Indian culture

As far as health is concerned, India has a vast treasure. For instance, with Yoga, you will not only stay healthy but can also achieve spiritual fulfilment. Then there are martial arts. Many people do not know that Karate is a gift from India. The various types of mudras in Indian dance too are different forms of exercise.

Nutrition is very important for health. Good health requires 70 per cent of nutrition and 30 per cent of any form of physical exercise. And we have a vast treasure for that — Ayurveda. If you combine Yoga and Ayurveda, you will be blessed with good health. I am a living example of this.

Promotion of Yoga Culture

I think if you experience something, then you promote it. Thanks to the hard work of many people, in the last decade, Yoga is being promoted on a large scale. I credit Baba Ramdev first for this. Yoga is a science. People had probably forgotten it. But Baba Ramdev revived it. I have also been a part of his camps and made a small contribution to them. But Baba Ramdev had taken the initiative. And a lot of credit goes to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He announced an international day to commemorate Yoga. After that, the whole world got associated with Yoga.

World attitude towards Yoga

There was a time when the world had only heard about Yoga. Then, the world saw a bit of Yoga. Now the world has started practising Yoga. There are many foreigners among those preaching Yoga. Yoga is from India but now, it has become global.

Message through ‘Swasthyam’

I am a living example of Yoga. So, I’m going to present myself. I will say that I practise Yoga and you can see the results. If you feel like it, please practise Yoga. I am happy that I am going to get the opportunity to answer people’s questions about Yoga. Many people say that they cannot do Yoga. My message to them is, ‘It is okay if you don’t do Yogasanas but you should definitely do Pranayama.’

Expectations from people

I don’t expect anything from anyone. Because expectations can disappoint you. But I will certainly tell you that our message can reach a maximum number of people through you. Learn about wellness and healthy living. Wellness is all about harmony and harmony is very important in our life. Those who are not aware of this need to be made aware. If you are aware, you can steer your vehicle in that direction. But don’t limit this awareness to yourself. Take it to other people. What use is the knowledge if you’re using it only for yourself? If you share this knowledge with people, you will have a healthy society around you.

(Written by Kaustubh Patait)