'Artistic yoga focuses the mind'

Kareena is looking slim, svelte and glowing, and it's not because she won the Best Actress award at the recent Star Screen Awards. She's working out with yoga instructor Payal Gidwani at her home when we drop in. Payal has trained under Bharat Thakur for the last five years and now conducts yoga classes all over Mumbai. A brief chat with Kareena and Payal on what artistic yoga is all about. No breaks Kareena says, "A year ago, Neha Dhupia was training in Bharat Thakur's artistic yoga and asked me to join. My weight was constantly fluctuating, so I gave it up. Four months ago, I started again and haven't looked back since. Now, I do it every day for one hour and the weight I have lost is amazing." Is there a particular diet she has to follow? Says Bebo, "I don't follow any particular diet except that I avoid sweets and rice." As for what artistic yoga is all about, Payal says, "Artistic yoga is part of the main branch of yoga, but what Bharat Thakur has done is reformatted it for ordinary people. Bharat's yoga is dynamic and suits most people." What's more, there are no breaks between asanas. Says Payal, "When Kareena gets really tired, she's allowed a break. Relaxation comes through pranayams or breathing exercises at the end of the class, which could be just chanting Om or Kapalbharati or whatever is required for her body type." Through breathing exercises and pranayams, Kareena's stomach problems have vanished. Kareena adds, "I had chronic colitis and acidity but Kapalbharati has helped it hugely. It has tautened my stomach and toned it up. " Mind over matter What are the benefits of artistic yoga? Says Payal, "Bharat Thakur's yoga gives you a superb body and takes you beyond your mind. If you are depressed, we get your problems out by talking to you through pranayams, where all the toxins drain out of your body. It is very relaxing." For an actor, Kareena says this form of yoga is necessary. She adds, "It stimulates the mind and the body, and for an actor there has to be a constant rush as we are creative people thinking different ideas all the time. Yoga has put my thoughts together and made me focus in one direction. It has made me more controlled in my thinking and made me go beyond my thoughts. Mind stimulation and focus is what I have gained the most from artistic yoga."