Walk out for a fun-filled workout. This is the latest mantra for burning calories. And for this therapy, all you need is ski poles. Jyotsna (earlier known as Ritu Mittal) brought Nordic Walking to Chennai in 2016 with her first session in Madras Club and Boat Club. “It takes 10 classes to learn walking with propellers. But first I observe how they stand, walk and their postures before I teach them Nordic Walking.”
Those familiar with the routine might wonder how it is relevant for sultry summers. Well, here’s a fun fact; while Nordic Walking was formerly associated with cross-country skiing training and later with hiking and backpacking, it is now finding its way into regular walking too. In fact, it’s believed to be more effective than regular walking. It burns anywhere between 500 and 700 calories if executed properly. The key to a workout as effective lies in using poles that act as propellers, thus activating 90 per cent of the body muscles. “The routine activates the core and triggers the upper and lower body muscles. In countries such as Germany, the UK and the US, it is a recommended rehabilitative therapy that is covered by health insurance,” she says.
Born to a German mother and an Indian father, she found clarity in her life when she started learning Bharatanatyam in Chennai. “When I began teaching Indian classical dance to Germans in 2009, I didn’t believe books or theories could explain the concept so well. They are not acquainted with Natya Shastra, I found observation of movements and postures to be very useful,” she says.
While she was still latched to a corporate career in Germany, Jyotsna would spend weeks teaching, choreographing and imparting her knowledge. “It was after such extensive study and practice that I rolled out a programme called ‘Body Sense by Ritu’,” she adds. Founded in Hamburg, the five-month course incorporates the underlying principles of Bharatanatyam with yoga, self-healing and applied geometry to reprogramme a body’s intelligence, enhance freedom and expression and activate the core.
A Norwegian friend and Nordic Walking trainer asked her to give it a try post a surgery in 2010. “After the surgery when I took this up as a rehabilitative therapy, I realised it stretches the upper body and reinforces the right walk posture,” she says.
She designed a module that helped understand how each movement in Nordic Walking affects parts of a body. “When we initiate a movement correctly, the possibility that we carry it out with a full body integration is higher. Hence, when we stand, we need to understand how our legs are aligned to the ground,” she says. Quoting an example, she adds, the tail bone or the plumb line acts as a directional tool for us. It helps in movement and reinforces the body’s connection to Earth. In India, we call them chakras.
Adding that beginners may not be ready for tar roads right from the early days, she prefers to conduct sessions in school grounds, parks and places where the ground is supple. “After the destruction caused by cyclone Vardah, I find it quite challenging to locate parks devoid debris and fallen trees,” she says.
Charging Rs 500 onwards per individual, per class, she focuses her sessions on muscle toning and aerobics. Once an individual is trained in Nordic Walking, she recommends they buy their own pole. “I travel to Germany once in a while, so I purchase the poles for those who ask for it,” she says, adding that the poles range between € 25 and € 100, excluding transport and import duty charges.
She wants to teach her students Nordic Walking on the slopes, and introduce German language learning or Body Sense classes in her sessions.