Shilpa Shetty's Advanced Yoga Challenge
Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty shared a video demonstrating the advanced Vatayansana pose for Monday motivation. She emphasizes its benefits for concentration, stress reduction, and lower body flexibility, challenging followers to see how long they can hold the challenging asana.
Vatayanasana, also known as Horse Face or Flying Horse Pose, is an advanced balancing asana from the Ashtanga yoga series. It's a challenging intermediate posture that combines elements of Garudasana (Eagle Pose) and Ardha Padmasana (Half Lotus Pose). The pose is known to be difficult on the knees and requires significant balance, but with practice, the pain is said to disappear. The name "Vatayana" translates from Sanskrit to "horse." The posture is meant to resemble a horse's face, with the folded knee looking like its nose and the upper body forming the rest of its head. Beyond flexibility, the pose is credited with strengthening the leg muscles and knee joints, improving blood circulation in the lower body, and reducing stiffness in the hips. Shilpa Shetty has been a vocal advocate for yoga long before it became a mainstream trend in Bollywood. Her journey with the practice began over two decades ago as a way to manage cervical spondylosis. What started as a therapy soon became a core part of her lifestyle. Shetty has extended her advocacy beyond social media, launching a yoga DVD in 2015 and a wellness app called Simple Soulful by Shilpa Shetty in 2019. The app, which has over a million downloads, offers yoga lessons, guided meditations, and nutrition plans. She also actively participated in the Indian government's Fit India Movement in 2019. Shetty is part of a growing number of Bollywood stars who promote yoga for its physical and mental benefits. Actors like Malaika Arora, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Alia Bhatt also frequently share their yoga practices, inspiring fans to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
