the Accidental Yogi

FROM A COMMERCIAL PILOT TO A TRAINED YOGA COACH, ANSHUKA PARWANI HAS CREATED A NICHE FOR HERSELF AS BOLLYWOOD'S TOP WELLNESS EXPERT. SHE TALKS TO KASHIKA BINDRANI GARERA ABOUT HER JOURNEY, AND WHAT LIES AHEAD...

- KASHIKA BINDRANI GARERA

Be it in interviews, movies, ads, or on social media, Bollywood has been loving and advocating yoga every chance it gets. And while Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan often post pictures where they're perfecting different asanas, we decided to go behind the scenes and talk to the woman behind these fit bodies - Anshuka Parwani. A celebrity yoga and holistic wellness expert, and founder of Anshuka Yoga, she not only regularly trains actors, but also travels with them while they're shooting. Adding to her already expansive repertoire, she most recently choreographed all the yoga scenes in Deepika Padukone starrer Gehraiyaan.

While many of us only dream of turning our passion into our profession, Anshuka took the leap and found her calling. With an affinity for mathematics, she initially went on to become a commercial pilot. Life, however, had other plans. Early on in her career, Anshuka suffered a near fatal bike accident that rendered her temporarily unfit to fly. Bedridden for eight months, it took her a very long time to walk again. Determined to get back on her feet, she turned to yoga as part of her therapy and recovery. For her, "yoga is more than just being on a mat and doing asanas. It's me tuning into my body, pausing and listening to it it's the union of my mind, body, and soul. My practice is all about balance, whether it's on the mat or off it."