Dimple Sthankiya, founder of Dimpleyoga, talks to AW about the benefits of Yoga and juggling a career with healthy living

Where did the idea for Dimpleyoga come about?

I was out in Australia doing a yoga teacher training course and I initially had a plan to start up a yoga studio. When I came back to London I found that the market for yoga here compared to say the USA wasn’t that huge and I didn’t want to commit to spending a lot of money on rent, etc to set up a studio if I didn’t think there was a long term profitable option. I started Dimpleyoga up in 2003 and I decided that I wanted to teach people who were very able bodied and at a successful peak in their lives, so I targeted actors and elite sports people. I also targeted companies so that I could get myself and other yoga teachers going in and teaching. The idea behind Dimpleyoga was about providing private yoga tuition for people for long periods of time. I wanted clients who would commit for up to six months to a year.

How do you relax?

I see friends two to three nights a week. I like to socialise, I love going to gigs and the cinema. I think it’s really important to have a balance. So during the week, although it’s quite heavily work based, in the weekend I’m happy to completely focus on me. I have massages once a week, I love going out to London parks, and I also like trying out new restaurants and new places.

How does yoga contribute to a healthy lifestyle?

With yoga I genuinely believe that there is a mind-body connection. So on a physical level if our body is tens and deals with the daily stresses of being at work, managing a family or home, we start to get bad habits. And emotionally and mentally we start to feel more anxious and stressed. I think that yoga helps your breathing, it brings more oxygen into the body and it’s amazing for your blood and digestive organs. You’re also undoing all those knots and tensions in your joints and muscles. And as you start to become more flexible and strong and you can balance better, you can manage your emotional stress, how you feel about yourself and how you see things. After doing yoga I have so much more energy.

How do you manage a demanding career and healthy lifestyle?

I think that no matter how busy you are or how many hours you may be working; the most important thing is to give yourself time to do something you enjoy. Whether it is yoga, meditation or listening to music, just spending time doing something you really enjoy without feeling guilty.

Top 5 Stress-Busting Tips

Make Time for yourself

Give yourself at least 30 minutes a day to do something you love

Nourish your mind body and soul

Make sure you do activities you really enjoy at least four times a week

Alone time

Meditate for at least ten minutes a day

Learn to say NO

Make family and friends a priority over an extra half hour at work as much as you can.  Love and being loved is essential to our well-being

Write it down

Create a very clear vision about your career and life goals either in a journal which you review every week or as a mood board filled with images and words that you can hang up somewhere and see everyday.