‘Yoga is all about fitness’

Shilpa Shetty is cool as a cucumber. She proved that during her stint at the Big Brother’s house - the UK reality show where she was reportedly subjected to racism. But the world didn’t just sit up and take notice of her calm composure, they also noticed her hot bod. The body she so meticulously carved and sculpted over the years.

As a housemate of Big Brother, the cameras followed her every move and people got to know of her fitness mantra. Her chanting and yoga became a fad worldwide. From being the global face of Bollywood, she went on to become the global face of fitness.

No wonder, one of the things she did after winning the contest, was to launch a DVD on yoga. “My aim was to clear the misconception of the youth that yoga is meant only for the elderly. I wanted them to know that yoga is all about wellness. Now I see a huge difference the way they perceive yoga. It’s valued as much in our country as it is in the West. Another reason why I decided to do the DVD was because I realised that all videos and DVDs on yoga were done by foreigners. So I took the initiative,” said Shilpa, who is known for having the best bod in Bollywood.

“I have been practicing yoga ever since I’ve been into fitness. I have tried different forms of fitness and found yoga to be the most holistic and scientific way of curing problems. It also tones and stretches your body at the same time. Yoga is the only form of exercise that loosens your body as well as sculpts it. It’s an all-in-one quick fix,” said the actress, who follows the ancient form of yoga.

“People assume that if they do power yoga or dynamic yoga, they will lose weight instantly but that’s not true. I don’t even do the Suryanamaskar. It’s not a part of yoga, it’s just a prayer to the sun. And if you don’t do it under proper guidance, you could injure your back. It’s dangerous especially if you do it fast,” informed the actress, who does the Ashtanga yoga, the Bhujangasana and the Dhanurasan.

“Once when I was doing crunches, I hurt my neck. That’s when I turned to yoga. So now even if I’m doing any other form of exercise like cardio or weight training, I do a bit of yoga at the end because it loosens my muscles,” said Shilpa who has attended yoga guru Ramdev Baba’s classes too.

“I admire Ramdevji because he single handedly created awareness about yoga in our country. But his style of doing it is different as compared to mine. I feel whatever form of exercise that suits you - be it running, swimming, cardio or yoga - you should do it. It’s all about being fit,” said Shilpa, who recommends yoga specially to those who, like her, are frequent travellers.

“Yoga can be done even when you are sitting in a plane,” she said. But that’s not the only thing related to fitness that she wants to promote. The actress who boasts of a 24-inch waist, intends to share her food secrets too.

“I’m planning of coming out with a DVD on that. It’s not difficult to eat right and be fit. People have this wrong concept that if they work out, they can eat anything. Diet is THE most important thing in order to have a great body,” informed the actress.

But does she binge once in a while? “I’m human. I do get cravings. I eat whenever I feel like it. I believe in what Buddha said, ‘The only way to overcome desire is to yield it’. It’s perfectly fine to binge once in a while. But if it’s a daily thing then it’s no longer a desire, it’s greed,” said the fitness freak, who wants to make another thing clear: yoga has nothing to do with spirituality.

“If you don’t want to say Om, you can say Allah. Pranayam is just a breathing technique. When you breathe right, your life is on the right track,” said the actress who feels that today people lead such fast-paced lives that they forget to breathe properly.

“Many are mouth breathers like me. You have to fill your lungs with air and breathe it out while saying something. So that’s why the yogis said Om,” she informed.

“Yoga calms you down. When you are happy inside, it shows from the outside,” she smiled.

Well if you thought the glow on her face was only because the lady is in love with the UK businessman Raj Kunder, then now you know there’s more to it than just that!

For a 24-inch waist, Shilpa...

Works out three times a week, but if she’s doing yoga, then she works out five days a week

Does a bit of yoga after cardio or weight training

Does the Ashtanga, Bhujangasan and Dhanurasan Is currently doing weight training as she’s preparing herself for an action film.