“What is beautiful? What is good looking? Who defines these, anyway,” says Mumbai-based Dolly Singh, while talking about how yoga changed her point of view about life, love, and herself. Growing up, weight was always an issue for Dolly. On the heavier side, she was confronted with the idea of beauty, and felt the pressure to look good. Yoga changed this for her. And now, after four years of regular practice, she continues to have extra kilos on her, but loves herself and her body like never before.
We often hear that yoga gives one confidence, and Dolly is a breathing, living example of this. When asked what exactly about the practice helped her feel more confident about her body, she spoke about its freedom, stating, “It’s given me freedom from perceptions, stereotypes, and this pressure that is there to be a certain way. Earlier, I used to fight for things… feminism, women’s rights, this, that. But now I’ve realised that there’s no need to fight. Why should I fight? Who do I need to prove a point to?”
Stepping on the mat is symbolic for switching off from the world, and tuning in to yourself. It is by doing this, repeatedly, that Dolly learnt to stop being bothered by what others think and expect of her. “When you practice yoga, your posture changes. And this makes you realise that confidence has nothing to do with weight, but with how you hold yourself. When I’m on the mat, and I do an asana with perfect alignment, and I’m able to hold it, the weight doesn’t make any difference. This reflects in my personal life, and with other people as well.”
Dolly is not the stereotypical calm, composed, saintly yogi. She is, in her own words, “hyper-energetic.” But, when she’s on the mat, she is patient and calm. That’s when she feels grounded, and doesn’t feel the need to rush through things. The moments spent on the mat are all about her body, and slowly but steadily, pushing the limits. Being able to achieve things physically, that she didn’t think she was capable of, has also been liberating for her. It has made her more determined, but at the same time, appreciative of practice, discipline and diligence. As she says, “earlier I was stubborn. Now I’m strong-headed.”
Dolly loves to cook and no matter how long or hectic her day has been, she always cooks herself a meal when she comes back home. Her passion for cooking led her to open Home café, a pop-up food service in Bandra, which is famous for its Bihari food. And that’s not all she does. Recently, this 33-year-old travel junkie finished a mountaineering course with the Indian Army. Despite being amongst a group people much younger than herself, many of whom were from NCC and other allied groups,, she was able to participate in activities because of her high stamina. She was an inspiration for soldiers-in-training. Now, that’s pretty bad-ass!
Speaking of bad-assery, yoga has “lowered her threshold for crap, when it comes to relationships.” She no longer pays heed to relationships that are toxic for her. But, with the people who are nurturing of her, she gives her 500%. Like she says, yoga has given her the “freedom to exist the way she wants to exist.”
