When 21-year-old Pankti Gada walks into a pilates class to teach women who are much older she doesn't hesitate one bit. "You cannot approach them with the attitude that 'I am the teacher, so shut up and listen to me’. You need to be friendly and talk to them amicably," says Pankti, who is one of the youngest pilates trainers in the city. As pilates is the new Zumba, Pankti heard about the former through Instagram and word of mouth, and has been pursuing it since February of this year. "Pilates is really just a modern form of yoga," opines Pankti.
While she is a certified yoga instructor from Bodhi Yoga Institute in Hyderabad, her pilates prowess is self-taught. She not only did the ‘millennial thing’ of learning through videos, but she also read books by famous celebrity trainer Yasmin Karachiwala and pilates instructor manuals. But Pankti wasn't always a fitness freak. After completing her BBA from IBS in May, Pankti decided to take some time off. She did not find a suitable job, but used to hit the gym regularly. She soon realised that's the only part of the day she looks forward to. Soon, everything was clear. "In those months I realised that this is what I want to do. I can't be stuck behind a desk with some 9 to 5 job," she says. While she also think that, "When people avail the services of a studio, what matters to them is that they first recover their investment and then think about fitness."
Currently, she earns rupees 5,000 to 6,000 from her classes, but she has full faith in the field. "Fitness is never going to stop. Whether you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s or beyond, fitness will play a major role in your life," she reminds us, calling this industry a "progressive one". For her, it's all about giving people the right knowledge and she has faith that "financial stability will come too”.
