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This Yogini has combined Yoga and dance to create a something beautiful

In an exclusive interview, Krishna Bahirwani speaks to Natasha Noel about the story behind Dance Yoga. Dance Yoga is inspired from Tamara's Yogance, a similar art form that combines dance and Yoga.

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How did you get involved with dance?
Dancing came naturally to me like breathing or drinking water. I believe our bodies have a natural rhythm and if we train it right we can create magic with it. Our bodies can do these unimaginable things.
I classically trained in Bharatnatyam for 5 years in Nalanda university. I did salsa, jive and waltz for a year with Sandeep Soparkar. Then I professionally trained in Jazz, Ballet, and contemporary with The Danceworx academy by Ashley Lobo. Dancing has always been my first true love. It’s where I began to explore movement.

How did you get involved with Yoga?
So being a professional dancer for 5 years, I was living, breathing, eating, sleeping and drinking dance. My life was revolved around dance. Being too ambitious, I got a knee injury, just a cartilage tear thanks to a jump I did and clumsily landed on my knee. I went to the doctor and he said just rest, it will be fine in few weeks. But I just wouldn’t stop, I couldn’t. I knew if I stopped all my training, all the amounts of hard work I put in all would just go to waste, whatever I created would slip away, so I continued dancing non-stop and my knee injury just kept getting worse. Eventually, when I went to get my knee checked, the doctor told me, I could either walk or dance.  I had to give up my one true love, the only thing I found happiness in. I just had to give it up and I chose to walk.
For a year and a half, I just didn’t do any physical exercise except, occasionally, I swam and went for my physiotherapy. I was miserable. Depressed was more like it. One day I happened to download Instagram and I saw these Yoga postures people did and I thought they were insane. I copied the poses and uploaded pictures of it and then participated in Instagram yoga challenges just to learn and improve.

I immediately bought Iyenger's books like "Light on Yoga" and started self-learning. It’s so funny because I remember when I was young, my parents told me, I should do yoga and I was refused and told them, I can’t sit and meditate and just concentrate on my breath. It's too boring. But there is a whole different side to Yoga. Yes, you concentrate on your breath, but you’re doing that to concentrate on yourself. We are always so busy with everything in our lives with millions of things that we forget to breathe and live in the present moment.
Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, I’m a much stronger person. People don’t realize that flexibility comes easily but to be strong in all aspects is important.
So 3 months after learning from Instagram, YouTube, and books I did my first teacher training course from The Yoga Institute.

What is Dance Yoga?
Movement has always fascinated me. I just thought of bringing both my passions together because both dance and Yoga are so similar, yet so different. In Yoga, you are more static but your breath moves you, while dancing you are smooth as butter but you are always gasping for breath. So I just merged the two where I take the strength from Yoga and fluidity from dance and connect it with the breath and that resulted in this unique art form.

How does it make use of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga?
I don’t only use Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, I use Hatha yoga postures as well to create a Yoga Dance routine.You manage to do poses that require incredible strength and balance.

Does that require a specific diet?
Honestly, the answer is discipline. You just need to get up every morning and get on your mat and just keep practicing. Even a tiny bit adds up to your practice. If you are balanced and your mind is strong that would be the essence of your practice. It does not require a specific diet but the healthier you eat, the healthier you will feel. Recently, I have just become a vegetarian  because I love animals and this is one way of me being non-violent or practicing Ahimsa. One just needs to have a nutritious balanced diet.

What kind of a workout routine do you follow to keep yourself in such shape?
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is something I do every day, which I also take regular classes for along with Hatha Yoga. And I try and run or brisk walk thrice a week if not four times a week.

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