Yoga next
Deepika Mehta gives a new twist to the ancient art form of yoga.
Some people inspire you with their life-story, others with their life-philosophy. Deepika Mehta does both. When she met with a near-death accident while rock climbing in 2001, both her bones as well as her dreams of becoming a dancer were shattered. Her doctors told her she would never walk again, but her indomitable spirit believed otherwise. After spending a year confined to her bed, she discovered that yoga enabled her to regain her active lifestyle when physiotherapy failed. Today, yoga is not merely a fitness routine for her; it's a way of life.
In Deepika, youthful dynamism coexists comfortably with ancient philosophy of yoga. She has trained under gurus in ashrams and delved deep into the study of this age-old discipline, a study which she claims never ends. Her yoga classes veer off the traditional path, whilst still remaining faithful to the original art form. "There might have been a time when I wanted to create my own brand of yoga," she confides, "But now I know that it is too pure a practice."
Each class is unique, but follows a similar structure. She incorporates everything from dance to surya namaskars as a warm-up. The first half hour, during which you exercise every muscle of your body, is physically taxing without stirring up aggressive energy. The second phase of the class is more receptive, during which students go into still positions and hold them. For the last 15 minutes, she guides you through meditation or pranayama to induce stillness.
The yogini, whose clientele has included stars like Bipasha Basu, Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra, no longer sees staying fit as a struggle. She trained Sandeep Sachdev, the winner Biggest Loser Jeetega, who lost 50 kilos on the show. However Deepika maintains that yoga is not just about losing weight, it's about finding your inner strength. "A lot of young girls who come to me are confused and worried about their body image," she tells me. "Once they begin to use their muscles, they begin to realise that they are capable of things they never thought they could do, like headstands, and this gives them self-confidence."
She admits to having run the diet gamut, only to discover that the best nutritionist to listen to is your own body. She no longer denies herself anything, but loves to eat raw food, which makes up about 70 percent of her diet. "Energy is the most important thing for me," discloses the vivacious young woman, "so I eat food that makes me feel clean and pure and gives me lots of energy."
Yoga has brought both energy and balance into Deepika's life, but she is still as passionate as ever about her first love - dance. Her personal fitness routine, which incorporates the practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa, also includes one mandatory night of dancing at a club every week. "The way I dance, people probably think I'm drunk or high on drugs, but the only thing I carry with me to clubs is my bottle of water!" she laughs.
"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it," Margaret Fuller once said. Deepika, whose name literally means light, is dedicated to sharing her knowledge of yoga with the world. From her own experience of turning a major setback into a new opportunity, she knows the importance of motivation. One of her favourite stories is that of Michelangelo. "When all that other people saw was a block of stone, he saw the perfection within and carved it out. That's what I try to do." And with her innovative techniques and infectious joie de vivre, that is precisely what she does.
Source: www.verveonline.com
