Having returned from a retreat five kilos lighter, actor Rohit Roy chronicles finding solace in Ayurvedic practices
Rohit Roy
If, like me, you too crave sweet foods, here’s a hack to control it—right before consuming lunch, have a spoon or two of dessert. If you do so, you will notice that your cravings during the rest of the day will be substantially less,” says actor Rohit Roy. This is one of the many nuggets of information he peppers our conversation with as he discusses the lessons he learnt from a biannual Ayurveda retreat that he has been participating in since 2019. Seven days after returning from the Kerala retreat, Roy, five kilos lighter and the lowest he has been in 15 years, appears to have been touched by a magic wand.
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“The first time I tried this was over an 11-day stay. Within eight days, I had shed five kilos. More importantly, all the toxins in my body had been washed away, and I dropped three inches on my waist. I came back looking at least 15 years younger. When I saw how people were reacting to me, I realised I had struck gold,” says the actor, who recalled being drawn to the idea of exploring the retreat after years of traditional fitness training methods had left him feeling bulkier than he desired. “I had packed on a lot of muscle mass for [projects like] Kaabil [2017], and Mumbai Saga [2021], which also featured John Abraham. I needed to look big for them.
Rohit Roy heads for the retreat twice a year. Pics/Instagram
After that, I wanted to go back to how I was. My body is lean, not bulky. That’s when I first went to the [retreat]. Now, I head there twice a year.” Roy agrees that a major chunk of the benefits is derived from the alteration in one’s diet, specifically the elimination of foods that aren’t sourced organically. “When you have no chemicals entering the body, you will feel better within 14 days. The food is Satvik, which means it is organic and grown on their own [land]. Even the ghee and milk provided are procured from cows that they own and that are bred on their property. The lifestyle that we live is the kind that nature intended it to be. After 14 days, I return with a lot of energy. I feel light on my feet and can wake up at 5 am without an alarm.”
The actor doesn’t deny that not everyone may seamlessly become accustomed to the lifestyle at the get-go. “On the first day, you may question the [restricted] food that you are being provided. But, the body gets used to it by day two. They will give you four meals a day, but the portions are curtailed. It’s just enough [to sustain] your body’s [requirements]. If they give you too much food, your body will not use existing fat as fuel.
Also, I’ve derived umpteen benefits from yoga. For 30 years, I’ve been doing action in films. It has taken a toll on my body. Sometimes I’d tear my hamstrings; on other occasions, it would be the rotator cuff muscles. With yoga, and their treatment, I was able to [heal] 70 per cent of the injuries. Even though there’s no weight-lifting involved, you return feeling stronger. I could do handstands and headstands, which helped my spine. Also, people in their 30s and 40s often complain of brain fog. My brain fog has cleared up. It now takes me a nanosecond to remember anything I want.”
Roy’s days at the retreat
Roy’s days at the retreat typically began at 5 am, with his first meal comprising a glass of herbal tea. At 7 am, a two-hour session of iyengar yoga would follow. Practitioners were offered a “light breakfast,” which would be either poha, or upma. (“They don’t give you heavy foods because they want to cleanse you,” says Roy). An hour later, a treatment meant to address an individual’s injuries would commence. “We’d then have lunch, and then head for a restorative yoga session. At times, we would do the yoga nidra, which would help us sleep better. At 4 pm we’d be given a snack, which would be a spinach roll or makana. Then, a minor treatment would follow. This would help soothe muscles. Dinner would follow at 7 pm, and lights would be out an hour later,” shares the actor.
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