Pilates in India still lacks international exposure: Yasmin Karachiwala

Celebrity fitness trainer Yasmin Karachiwala who brought Pilates to India 15 years back says she is proud and happy to see how the Pilates community today is blossoming and growing in different cities in India. However, it still lacks international exposure, she feels.

"When I discovered the form of movement called Pilates, I was really lucky that I was able to travel to different corners of the world and gain knowledge from some of the best teachers from different countries. This helped me become the teacher I am today… you grow so much as a teacher when you open yourself to constant and continuous learning and you eventually find a style of your own. I brought Pilates to India 15 years ago and I am so proud and happy to see how the Pilates community is blossoming and growing in so many different cities in India today!" says Karachiwala who has trained the crème de la crème of Bollywood like Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Ananya Pandey, Khooshi Kapoor among others.

"What I find still missing is the international exposure. There are some teachers who have the means to be able to travel the world and gain experience but then there are those who aren't able to. I wanted to open India up as a location that international teachers want to come to share their knowledge and have the Indian teachers have access to all my incredible teachers I've experienced along the way. In addition, I want regular people to be learning and doing classes from the best," she tells.

And thus came the idea of Pilates Festival India, three years ago. The festival brings together the leading Pilates trainers from around the world. It aims to foster awareness regarding the benefits of performing pilates.

"I am so excited to see the festival having such an incredible response and being at full capacity with a waitlist already! It just goes to show that people are interested in quality and also do enjoy luxury retreats at affordable prices," she notes.

Pilates Festival India 3.0 is happening in The Leela Kovalam, in Trivandrum, Kerala on February 20-23. It is a stunning location and perfect for a health and wellness retreat!