‘yoga’ to be serious

This 23-year-old is changing the face of fitness with a new approach that is wholesome and all inclusive

When most 23-year-olds are getting acquainted with the ups and downs of a career, Sarvesh Shashi has his own business, Zorba Studios, which is touted to be revolutionising the concept of health and fitness. For someone with a strong family background to choose not to go into the family business and stand on his own feet, Sarvesh Shashi has come a long way. He tells us about his journey.

How did his interest in yoga develop “My father started yoga with my guru when I was 16 and because he couldn’t complete it, I did. When it did end, I asked my guru if I could continue on under him because I’d grown fond of him. The first thing he told me was, ‘I can’t help you; you have to help yourself. Think of me as a swimming instructor, I can only tell you if it’s deep or shallow, it is up to you to see if you can swim it.’ And from the age of 17 to 21, I did a lot of things that people of that age don’t usually do. I used to meditate for nine hours and I once cut off from the world for 40 days and they were the best 40 days of my life, professionally, mentally and socially,” he says.

When asked about his idea of fitness, and what inspired him to start this revolution, he responds, “I wanted to start something that would benefit people the same way I was benefited. So, with yoga being the base, Zorba was born. It means a person who lives life fully each day and we focus on happiness before all else. I think I was one of the first to introduce hot and aerial yoga. Apart from these forms of yoga I also enjoy Zumba, dance meditation, music meditation, pranic healing and more, all of which we offer.”

With so much going on including a book, Karma Kitchen with Pankhuri Agrawal, a blog, videos that have gone viral and charity work that he is reluctant to talk about because he doesn’t want to toot his own horn, what does Sarvesh do with his little free time “I like to pursue cricket. I’ve played in international matches as well as been part of the under-19 team from Tamil Nadu. Besides cricket, I also make it a point to travel every three months. So far I’ve been to Udaipur, Dubai, Bali and USA this year. I have a special interest in adventure activities like skydiving and water sports and visiting architecture marvels. When I went to Dubai recently, I was struck by the architecture of the Burj Al Arab hotel. Another activity I enjoy is flying remote-controlled airplanes whenever I visit Udaipur.”

He leaves us by sharing a simple mantra for people who deal with stress in their lives, “You have to understand what is causing your stress. Your answer is the solution.” We suggest you take this piece of advice from the one of the busiest 23-year-olds who still says he has no stress in his life.