Rupal Sidhpura Faria or ‘Muscles’ as she is fondly called by friends and family had a childhood steeped in sports and athletic activities. She did her intensive teacher’s training in yoga at The Yoga Institute Santacruz that was life changing for her. Along with a fourteen-month internship at the institute where she mastered yoga therapy and the relevance of breath alignment with yoga asana. She describes yoga as a journey of absolute bliss that changed her life around three sixty degrees.
With dreams in her eyes and skills in her hands, Rupal Sidhpura Faria shares her life as a Celebrity Yoga Trainer.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You mentioned yoga as a journey of absolute bliss that changed your life around three sixty degrees, walk us through the rise of yoga in your life? When did you realize about the healing power of yoga?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
I took up yoga because I always saw my father practising it and for years I’d seen how it helped him cope with everything and my mother was the one who pushed me to follow my passion for it. They backed me up. A decade ago Yoga wasn’t even considered as a profession especially when you’re not established. I knew it the day I began my studies that this is going to be it! It was always an experiential science, of you get into it and put your faith in it, it’s bound to reciprocate and that’s what happened with me. People say to be happy, do yoga, I’d say irrespective of what your emotion is, Follow yoga and the beautiful lifestyle it offers. It didn’t take me too long to understand the beauty of it and it’s my one lifelong motivation now. When I have yoga, I need nothing else.
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness Org
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You started your own venture “Yogasthenics” which is a combination of many different forms of training, tell us how did the idea click and how is it different from regular yoga programs?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
I started RUPALS YOGASTHENICS 3 years back. I’m a yoga teacher at my core, but I’ve always been open to trying different workouts. I’ve done crossfit, I’ve been a Zumba Instructor, I teach Aqua Yoga, I teach functional training and all of this out together furthermore got me inclined to take up and be a kettlebell and flexibar instructor. I stepped on my mat 4-5 days of the week and same was with the other workouts. I started focussing on how the workouts and Yoga started complimenting each other. And started experimenting on the workouts and making different fusion WODs. I used these workouts on Specially Kareena Kapoor Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Saif Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti to name a few.
I curated a brand of workouts thereafter specially for the body types keeping not just weight loss, but also therapy, flexibility, strength, emotional and moral strength in mind. Being a yoga teacher really helped me inculcate all the motivations of yoga into The Rupals Yogasthenics workout.
No sooner I started implementing these workouts, modified and curated for Pre-Natal Yoga and started training Soha Ali Khan and Surveen Chawla amongst others with the programme.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Everybody is unique and so are the physical, emotional and healing needs. You have a long list of celebrity clientele, tell us what things you keep in mind while designing a routine for your clients considering their schedules and hectic lifestyle? 5 key essentials for a successful routine.
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
I’m very very grateful to have all those celebrities who have been very very dedicated to the classes with me. They’ve been the ones who’ve motivated me to do better and teach better.
My classes with all of the above have been very different. Everyone I teach has a different body type and different needs physically, mentally, emotionally. I keep atleast two workouts handy for each one of them.
For eg. when I have a class with Kareena Kapoor there are times when we have Saif Ali Khan Joining us for class and for both of them I do workouts that are world’s apart. But it’s great to have them workout together because there’s always motivation and encouragement in a partner workout or partner yoga. It’s more fun too. Apart from the basics like body type, how much time they have, what kind of training does the body type need eg. strength or cardio or flexibility or just meditation and Breathwork…targets and motivation….injuries and ailments etc etc
I keep two workouts handy because when I enter the workout space with them, at first, apart from the above, I see what their state of mind is. I keep their body type in mind, I now know which workout is suitable to them on which day. There’s most times when I am asked to change my workout when they don’t want to do intense. The best students I’ve had so far are Kareena Kapoor Khan and Anurag Kashyap. They’re so dedicated and amazing at their workouts and such strong willed humans. They’ll never say never!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You have been dealing with prenatal clients as well, tell us any 3 prenatal yoga must-do every day poses?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
Every pregnancy is different from the other. There’s no two poses that could be the same in case of complications. But under a registered Yoga practitioner without any complications the common most and beneficial is the Baddha Konasana, Wide Legged Forward fold and Child’s pose would be a few of many many asanas that pregnant women can do.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Walk us through a day in your life?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
Oh boy! I wake up at 5.30am most days of the week. Start with a glass of water and leave for class.
6.30-7.30am class
8.00am Self Practice.
8.45am cook and clean get a heavy breakfast.
10.30am Leave for the day for meetings and workshops and classes.
4pm if I’m home, a nap is in order.
5pm back home to have an early dinner by 6.30 after cooking and cleaning.
7.30pm class and Evening run
9pm I dedicate my time to one activity I love pursuing.
11pm sleep.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you follow any particular diet? What are a big no-no in your diet?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
Yes, I definitely follow a diet. The diet that my heart wants. Honestly I don’t have any specific cravings and Since I got into yoga I’m more into simple home cooked food namely vegetables, Dal, Rice, Gheewali Roti etc etc. It’s the best for Indian metabolism. I love my occasional salads which I eat atleast 3-4 times a week for dinner. I indulge in a Pav bhaji or maybe a desert of my choice once a while, with absolutely no regrets.
There’s NO big NO-NO in my diet. If I want to eat it, I do, but I manage the portions perfectly well. And I make sure my workouts are in order.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How often do you train for a week? What are your favourite yoga asana?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
Almost everyday. I get my set of workouts or routines in Yoga or Core Control sets or maybe just a run some days…oh my favourite asana is any that gets me out of my comfort zone. I might sound pretty much a sadist, but it is a promise to myself, with each practice and with each breath I will try to change and progress mentally, physically and emotionally.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You also have a Yogapeeth in Rishikesh, share more input about the project.
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
Yes, We’re a few friends who began with it. My friends from Rishikesh started the school Adi Yogpeeth in Rishikesh a few years back and I decided to branch it out to Mumbai. It was always my aim to spread out yoga in every household of the world, one should follow yoga like how you breathe.
I wanted to be able to certify enthusiasts to become teachers of Yoga. And that’s when my friend from Rishikesh offered me to start it here in Mumbai. I run a teachers training course every 3 months in Mumbai at Juhu. We run 100,200,300,500 hours TTCs. It’s a beautiful feeling. I have kids coming from all over india to learn from us at Adiyogpeet, Mumbai and All over the world at Adiyogpeeth, Rishikesh.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Women Fitness has been there for more than the last 16 years working with a goal to help women with the best in health & fitness. Share a word about the website (Womenfitness.org) and a message for our followers?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
It’s a great platform for women to teach, learn and motivate other women to get fit.
It’s a global issue that anyone, not just women, who tends to focus on self health care and fitness are looked upon as selfish or worse self centered. I think you guys are doing a great job. I’d say to all women out there, NEVER BE APOLOGETIC FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL & NEVER BE SHAMEFUL FOR TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF! We are the world and the rest are our children!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
One motivational quote you live by?
Ms. Rupal Sidhpura Faria:
LIVE AND LET LIVE.
And one thing I always say to myself:
I’m a work in progress and there’s always be space for improvement.
Follow her journey on:
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2020 Women Fitness Org