“I can dance all night at parties and weddings but why was it that I dreaded going to the gym? BollyX solved some sort of an existential crisis for me. I can get my workout in while doing something I LOVE!”

~Bay Area Instructor, Sanjana Gupta

Sanjana, a Campaign Consultant at Adobe and a BollyX instructor in the Bay Area, originally learned about BollyX at the Garba held at the Anaheim convention center a couple of years ago. She vividly remembers that the 20 min of BollyX had left her breathless yet full of energy at the same time. After that, Sanjana was hooked.

Prior to being exposed to BollyX, Sanjana underwent some challenging experiences. We are so lucky she felt comfortable enough to share her story with us in her own words:

“Growing up I had always faced body image issues and been bullied for being overweight. In high school, I had taken up tennis and became the captain of my school’s team which helped me embrace my body type and get in shape. However, that feeling was very short lived. After an unfortunate incident, I was forced to have 2 severe ankle surgeries which led me to be wheelchair bound for 4-5 months. One of the major risks of the surgeries was that I would not be able to walk again. For someone who expressed themselves via dance this was devastating. I remembered when the surgeon was describing the details of the surgery, my only question to him was, “would I be able to dance again?”

After 2 years of rehabilitation and physical therapy, I was able to walk again but the challenge was getting fit. This was when I first got introduced to BollyX at the Anaheim Convention Center. I knew I wanted to be more involved but there were no classes near me that would fit my schedule. In order to stay motivated I joined a boot camp and few months later saw there was an instructor training coming up near me. I immediately signed up. 

I walked into Natalie Brown’s masterclass where everyone was so approachable. She made me love BollyX even more than I had imagined. BollyX makes you feel comfortable in your skin. Everyone is dancing and having the time of their life. You don’t even realize that you are working out (especially if you are a Bollywood Buff like me ;P). I feel like I am at a party every time. I am probably the fittest and happiest version of myself today and this is just the beginning. I owe it all to BollyX for changing my life.”

As an instructor, Sanjana encourages her students to feel the same positivity she derives from BollyX. She reminds her students to express themselves during the performance section. When closing out the class, she asks her students to exhale all the negativity and inhale future possibilities.

Inspired by Sanjana’s story? Click HERE to learn how YOU can become an instructor!