Bobby on a power trip

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sheetal

@sheetald

Rocker

Posted: 19 years ago

Bobby Deol

Bobby Deol is getting high on power. The junior Deol is now learning power yoga to keep fit. He tells HiTLIST what got him hooked to the wellness regime that has the likes of Madonna bending over backwards…

When did you start learning power yoga?
I started learning it more than a month back, when my wife (Tanya) asked me to try it. My friends were also telling me to try it as they had benefited from it greatly. I am learning at home from my trainer, Ashray, who is Bharat Thakur's assistant. Before I started training, I never knew what it was about. Initially, I was a bit sceptical, but after doing it, I feel power yoga is very good — it's an aerobic kind of workout.

How different is power yoga from yoga?
I haven't done yoga, ever. Yoga is about meditation and breathing while power yoga has those plus exercises. It has a different format of training and working out, where one uses one's body weight. Power yoga is a combination of postures and breathing.

How long do you train?
I can't train for more than an hour and-a-half every day, after which I feel like dying. It's exhausting, as it works out every part of your body. But when I come out of the dying stage, I feel great. Working out makes me think fresh.

Did you take up power yoga because you wanted a good build for Anil Sharma's Apne, where you play a boxer?
That was part of it. Apart from the fact that I required to build a good physique for Apne, I also realised that I needed to work out. It's never too late to shape your body. I don't want a big, bulky body — just something that will keep me fit and healthy.

Have you lost weight?
Losing weight is a gradual process and takes time. I can't lose immediately. But I am on a diet prescribed by Pooja Makhija, which avoids sugars and oils and requires meals every two hours.

What is power yoga?

Power yoga deviates completely from the traditional form of yoga. It is an east-meets-west routine, a fusion of yoga with functional and flexibility training, both of which train your body to perform better.

Basically, power yoga involves the moves of the traditional yogic surya namaskar (or sun salutation) coupled with flexibility training and strength training. The surya namaskar consists of 12 exercises with specific breathing patterns, done in a continuous graceful sequence.

These exercises counteract the effects of the previous exercise. They also expand and contract the muscles of the rib cage and waist.

There are different modules in power yoga. Typically, you would do one asana followed by strength training. This makes your body strength work for you and makes the whole workout more dynamic.

Advantages

It increases lean muscle tissue, which means improved calorie burning, reduction in your body's fat percentage and increased BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

It works your stomach and back muscles constantly, increasing your core strength. This increases the heartbeat harmoniously.

Power yoga, like traditional yoga, helps reduce stress and relax your body.

It improves concentration, which is good for students.