Why fitness + mental health?
I turned to fitness as a means to support my anxiety and mental health. I had struggled with my body image and my relationship with food. Fitness felt like a great way to stay healthy while also building a career that aligned with my daily life. I discovered Dance Movement Therapy a few years into my fitness work, and it deeply resonated with me. Using movement as a way to process emotions, navigate life, heal from past traumas, and express myself more authentically than ever before - all helped me create a sacred relationship with my body and myself.
I was able to break out of the mould of being a fitness coach who had to look and sound a certain way, and instead, I touched a more profound space of 'good enough-ness' within myself. I wanted to share that with everyone I possibly could - because don’t we all deserve to feel that way? Why shouldn't we, when it's possible from within? As a fitness coach, it made me more attuned to what truly contributes to someone’s physical health and ailments, and how deeply the mind and emotions are connected in that process. A person’s muscular weakness, pain, or stiffness isn’t always just about a lack of exercise - there are often psychological and emotional factors at play that need to be considered.
This understanding has made my practice more grounded and compassionate. I’ve learned that there is no single “right” way to move, no universal process, and that everyone’s health journey is unique. It must unfold at its own pace. In my work today, I honour those differences and take the whole individual into account as I support them on their path.
My journey so far
For most of my life, I have felt like my true self is hidden deep underneath, locked away somewhere. There was always this feeling in my body that I couldn't ever explain through words - this unease, a sense of not belonging, a sense of being different and weird from the rest of the world.
I’ve engaged with every possible diet & fitness regime out there. As a chubby girl out of school, who had had her fair share of bullying and shaming already - I was determined to lose all that extra weight after the 10th grade. I thought if I looked different, I would feel better. That's what everyone said was the solution anyway. It always worked - temporarily. I have counted calories, weighed my food, tried different diets & nutritionists, and exercised to the point where I couldn't get out of bed for days because of how tired my body was. I would restrict, then binge, then feel guilty, and restrict again. My relationship with my body was dictated by shame, control, punishment, and everyone else's idea of health.
As my journey with therapeutic movement deepened and went beyond physical fitness - I learnt about just how much trauma & unconscious emotional energy every body stores and carries - from generations before us. So many things started making sense for me! The more I studied & dove into somatic knowledge, the more grounded I felt in the power of movement as a means of expression and transformation. I was able to express my whole self like never before. And it felt right. I felt like myself in a way that I had been waiting for for so long. It felt like a deeper, stronger and truly sacred connection was being built with myself, with my body as the bridge.
I found a profound respect & appreciation for the wisdom my body holds, and it's ability to guide, protect and nurture me. Since then, there's no turning back and I'm only growing more and more curious as my journey goes on.
Certified Functional Fitness Coach (American College of Sports Medicine, USA)
Certified Animal Flow L1 Trainer (Animal Flow Official)
Certified Dance Movement Therapy Practitioner (St. Mira’s College in association with Artsphere, Pune)
Registered IADMT Member (PD #0117)
