FITNESS MADE SIMPLE

Bollywood's fitness instructor extraordinaire, Yasmin Karachiwala, on the launch of her new book.

- PRIYANKA KATHURIA

Yasmin Karachiwala’s fitness journey began with a nudge from a close friend—a seemingly simple invitation that transformed her life. “When you are 18 you generally get peer pressured into doing things. My best friend said, ‘If you’re my friend you will work out with me.’ So that’s how I joined a health club,” says the 53-year-old. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows at first. “I hated doing anything that required me to move a muscle, or an arm. Even in school, I would never go for athletic training; I would opt for things like shot put or javelin because that requires strength, and not movement. I went into the dance studio, which was actually an aerobics class, and I realised that I was completely uncoordinated. If the class was going right, I was going left; I was just stamping on people’s toes,” she laughs. However, rather than throwing in the towel, she decided to confront her weaknesses head-on. “At the end of the class, I felt like I had made a complete fool of myself, and I was a total klutz. But instead of giving up, I signed up for the class again the next day.” Her perseverance paid off and she started to notice gradual improvements. Her movements became more synchronised, and her confidence grew with each passing day. The once unfamiliar and daunting dance studio transformed into a place of personal growth and empowerment.