International Yoga Day: Kubbra Sait says yoga doesn’t mean doing challenging stretches, but showing up on your mat

Kubbra Sait, who will celebrate International Day of Yoga with “absolute strangers” at a camp in Delhi, feels it’s important to drive more conversations towards embracing the ancient practice. The actor hopes it will help shun the preconceived notion that yoga is boring.

“It’s such a nice feeling to be spending my early morning with a friend and having fun with strangers. The camp is organised by one of my closest friend and guru, Sarvesh Shashi, who has been motivational and kind towards me during my journey of embracing yoga,” says Sait.

The 39-year-old asserts that one doesn’t have to be 100% right or look graceful while doing yoga. “For instance, I see (actor) Alaya F’s videos who looks so good and graceful while doing yoga, when I am seething during my poses. One day I would like to be graceful with my practice. I’m sure it’s happening,” she quips.

Sait embarked on her yoga journey after coming back from the shoot of her international web series Foundation during the peak of pandemic.

“I felt I had nothing to do but to actually throw in a new routine for myself, which was yoga. My faith came when I saw my body changing. During that time, my hand got injured and was in a cast, but I didn’t stop doing yoga. That got me closer to the practice as I saw the lower body of mine getting stronger, and my mind getting peaceful. I leaned into yoga, and now I’m about two and a half year old yoga baby,” shares the Farzi actor.

Through her own experience with the practice, the actor wants encourage more and more people to start their journey with an open mind.

“Everybody I spoke to about starting yoga expressed that they find it boring, maybe because it isn’t any kind of a competition. I can say yoga is anything, but boring. In reality, it is submission and clarity of mind. When I started out, my posterior was not comforting during the child’s pose. Now, I can see tiny changes in my body. It takes time. That’s when the perception towards the journey with yoga changes,” asserts the actor.

Talking about the importance of a day dedicated to yoga, she notes, “For the longest time, our country was perceived as a country of snake charmers. It is time for us to take this perception out of the world and show the world who we are. That’s literally the reason why it’s important for us to celebrate International Yoga Day. It doesn’t mean you have to do big and challenging stretches. It literally means showing up on your mat, and even doing breathing exercises,” she wraps up, with a message for everyone, “Be happy, be bendy and be comfortable in your skin and body.”