International Day of Yoga Special: Yoga has been an anchor in my life: Kranti Prakash Jha

To get into the skin of a character, actors usually try to imbibe the qualities and skillset that the role demands. From learning martial arts to a special dance form – a lot of prep goes into it. But, there are some acquired skills that stay with you. And that’s exactly what happened with actor Kranti Prakash Jha, when he played yoga guru Swami Ramdev in a series in 2018. Since then yoga has been an integral part of the MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and Batla House (2019) actor.

“I have learnt a lot of skills from the characters I have played in my career so far, including horse riding, sword fighting and gymnastics, but yoga is something that has stayed with me. I started practicing yoga four years ago, when I played Swami Ramdev in a biopic. Before the shoot started, the makers wanted me to learn some basic yoga and I was sent to meet swami ji. I learnt some tips from him. I started doing yoga then and continue to do it every single day,” he tells us on World Yoga Day, adding, “Yoga has played the role of an anchor in my life. I was a fitness enthusiast since childhood and yoga has really helped me stay fit.”

The Raktanchal actor feels “yoga is all about patience, balance and controlling your mind. It won’t give you results in just a few days, but it definitely trains your mind for bigger goals of life”. He starts with his yoga routine every day at 7am. “I try to hold every stretch for at least a minute and I focus on my breath while holding the posture. Meditation is also an important part of my routine,” says Jha, who counts Mayurasana, Shirshasana, Sarvangasana, Bakasana and Bhujangasana as his favourite asanas.