It all began when Shilpa Shetty was diagnosed with cervical spondylosis in 2003 and a physiotherapist recommended a regular practice of bhujangasana . “I started reading up on it and realised that to strengthen a body part, if you strengthen the muscles around it, that helps prevent a recurrence. I actually believe that the practice of yoga and the philosophy of yoga make you a stronger person,” said Shetty, adding that is not, however, saying that one might never fall ill.
The art of everyday
Years of practice and study have made her a committed yogin and Shetty admits that she can both see and feel the benefits of yoga. “It works with the inside of your head, which in this time and age we all need help with, because we are dabbling in so much stuff. I really think I am able to do much more today because I am more alert and open to learning.”
People have said that the 42-year-old mother of a five-year-old looks better today than she did during her heyday as a Bollywood actress, seen in movies such as Baazigar and Dhadkan . The slim and tall Shetty agrees. “Today, I continue to do yoga because I have reaped the benefits, and when people compliment me and tell me that I still look the same or maybe better, I must say I agree.” Shetty did not always live a healthy and clean life. She admits to having wolfed down junk food and having had a careless attitude to health. The turning point was the birth of her son Viaan.
“Once I reached 35, and then had my baby, I began to realise that age takes a toll and your body will make a shift every 12 years. It’s a process, but how you combat that process is entirely up to you. I have seen how I looked when I was 30, and now, 12 years down the line, I feel I look much better,” says Shetty, sitting cross-legged on a sofa in the opulent basement of her Mumbai home.
Inner peace
Shetty’s yoga journey began with Ashtanga yoga, but nowadays, she’s immersed in the Bihar school of yoga under the tutelage of Eknathji. “This school comes with the thought of overcoming sorrow—the kind your mind or your heart is hit with. You can come out of that with yoga, because it is meant to holistically cure you inside out. Most other practices, such as weight training or pilates, treat you from outside in.”
While Shetty gets time to practise only three times a week, she ensures she finds 10 minutes every day for breathing, meditation and chanting. “I am also into a lot of freehand core strengthening and functional training—stuff I can do with my body. It is important to do weight training, because as you age, you lose muscle mass and bone density. I got into a bit of weight training, because a few years ago, I was diagnosed with mild osteopenia. Once you realise you are borderline, you should start building muscle immediately.”
Encouraged by a sporty father, Shilpa played volleyball and learnt karate when she was younger. She credits her good genes to her father, but she acknowledges the value of yoga in affecting other aspects of her life. “I was someone who used to question things a lot, especially when they would not go the way I wanted them to go. After yoga, you realise that this too shall pass. It just calms you. Yoga also helps you control, makes you understand your willpower and helps you shed your ego. The deeper understanding of yoga is that if you put in effort, you will reach your goal. It opens up your body and you reach levels that you didn’t think you could reach.”
Eat like a yogi
Shetty has also incorporated certain lifestyle modifications, such as changing her mealtime and amending foods. She has a light dinner at 7.30 pm, in order to give the body time to rest and reboot. She also attempts to eat organic and is currently setting up an organic vegetable garden in her backyard. “I try to stay close to clean eating and to grow my own food. I am going to learn to farm in pots and grow my own doodhi (bottle gourd), zucchini and bhindi (ladies’ finger),” says Shetty.
As the world is embracing yoga, closer home, zumba and pole dancing workouts are gaining steam. “With due respect, I am sure they all work for people, but if you have yoga and all you need to invest is your time and a yoga mat, why not? You are getting three uses out of one art form. You don’t need to warm up, you don’t need to stretch before and you don’t need to stretch after. Yoga is all in one,” she says.
