This 26-year-old from Kolkata was criticised for being skinny. Here's how Yoga changed her life

All of us are quite familiar with body-shaming, but let me tell you that it has several subsets such as fat-shaming, skinny-shaming and so on, all of which are slowly making their way into the minds of people — thanks to social media. Also, in case you have any doubts about this, let me reiterate that skinny-shaming is a real thing. Skinny and really thin people are often criticised for their physique and such has been the case for Rashni Parichha, a 26-year-old from Kolkata, who currently works in Bengaluru.

Rashni was introduced to yoga during her school days when she was 13 years old. "I’ve always been skinny fat. Everyone used to say, ‘You are so thin, why do you need to exercise?’. But I did not feel quite good about myself and felt that I looked malnourished. People had their own thoughts about my body structure and asked me why I was worried about my weight at all. I was aware that my body fat percentage was quite high and I couldn't fit into the pair of pants that people of my age easily could. I wanted to work on it," says Rashni. This is where yoga came into the picture. 

Practising yoga every day is not a planned activity or a routine for me that I decide on doing when I wake up in the morning. It comes naturally to me. Just like when children go to school, they are already used to playing in the park after classes. For me, yoga is quite similar. It's a habit. I do not follow the same exercise routine every single day, but it's pretty hectic as I try to push myself further with each asana. My ultimate goal is to strike the perfect balance between strength and flexibility

Rashni Parichha, Yoga enthusiast

The 26-year-old digital designer says that she learned her basic yoga exercises from tabloid magazines. "After learning the basic ones, I thought I could push myself a little more and began trying out the tough ones. Gradually, I began practising, my flexibility improved and I was even more motivated. It's something that I am really proud of and it's not something I am going to stop doing anytime soon," she assures.

Rashni sure has a hectic schedule as she spends almost 12-14 hours at work every day, including weekends. However, that doesn't stop her from following her passion — yoga. "Yoga gives me immense flexibility and strength. I look at yoga as something that I enjoy doing, just like people love painting or dancing," she says.

Rashni’s journey with yoga is quite well-documented on her Instagram page. However, she says she wants to inspire many more people and thus, wants to document her milestones in a better way. "Usually when I am in Kolkata, my friend, who is a professional photographer takes photos of me. Here in Bengaluru, it's quite difficult, but I manage to take my own photos by placing the camera somewhere. But sometimes, I am too embarrassed to do that in front of people," she concludes.