In a live NBC California segment recorded on May 5, 2020, fitness instructor Reena Vokoun joins hosts Malou and others to showcase a Bollywood‑style dance routine that can be performed at home during quarantine. Reena explains that Bollywood dance is a fun, equipment‑free workout that engages the upper and lower body, hips, core, and even helps with wrist issues like carpal tunnel. She walks the hosts through a series of progressive moves: a basic hip‑and‑arm motion, a lateral step‑and‑rotate sequence, cardio‑focused variations that add jumps or hops, and a final hop with arm “A‑okay” signs that also targets hamstrings and quads. Throughout she emphasizes modifications for all fitness levels, the uplifting, festive nature of the dance, and its suitability for families. The hosts try the moves, comment on the cardio intensity, and thank Reena for the session, ending with a friendly sign‑off about staying healthy and safe.
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Then, jai ho, Malou's getting her Bollywood workout on. It just works your upper and lower body, your hips and your core. So it's a great workout for any level.
Something else that I've been trying to find lately are new ways to work out from home. And I think you girls are gonna love this one because this workout includes Dance.
First there was Hollywood, and then came Bollywood. Hindi cinema, also known as Bollywood, is the film industry based in Mumbai. And one thing Bollywood is famous for— movies packed with dancing and singing. So we decided to learn some classic moves and get in a workout too. We met up with fitness instructor, Reena.
Hi, Reena.
Great to see you and learn all about Bollywood.
Thanks for having me, Malou. And yes, Bollywood is a really fun style of dance. It can actually be a form of fitness as well. It stems from India, where my family is originally from. And it's just a great workout. It's something you can do from home anytime. You don't need any equipment. And it's just something that's uplifting and festive and fun in this time when we're all in quarantine. You think anyone can do it? I think anyone can do it, yes. I can show some modifications as well, but it just works your upper and lower body, your hips and your core. So it's a great workout for any level.
All right, show me how this is done.
Okay, so I'm gonna back up a little bit here. Okay. And so what we're gonna do, Malu, is you're gonna bring one foot forward. You're gonna tuck in your core and we're gonna start with the hips. So the hips are just gonna move down and up. So the accent is on the down motion. And then when you feel ready, you can add some arms. So you're gonna circle your wrists and your arms, and you're gonna bring them up overhead and shake your hips. You can do this on the other side as well. So again, tuck in the core, get your hips moving, and then you add the arms where you circle and then you shake. And then you can go down again, circle, and then you shake. Another move is gonna add a little bit of lateral movement. So you can take 4 steps together each side, you're going to rotate your hips and your arms at the same time. So this again will work the hips and the core and the upper body. So we'll start to the side. You're just going to rotate the hips for 4 counts to one side, and then you're going to go to the other side rotating the arms and the hips. I'll show that one more time. So you go side for 4 steps working the hips and the arms, and then you go to the other side doing the same thing. Now the next two moves we're gonna do, um, get your heart rate up a little bit. So for anybody that loves cardio, I will show ways that you can add a little jumping or not if you don't want to add too much intensity. So you're gonna step up and over with each leg. So the knee's gonna come up. And if you don't wanna add a ton of cardio, you can keep one foot planted on the ground and then your arms are gonna come up overhead. Now, if you want a little more cardio, you can add a hop and a jump. So this is gonna work the upper body the lower body, and of course it's gonna get that heart rate up. And then the fourth move we're gonna do, Malu, is we're gonna do some hops. Your arms are gonna come under and overhead. So you wanna make the A-okay sign with your hands. This is very popular in Bollywood dance. And when you hit the fourth beat, you're gonna lift your heel up, kind of like when you do hamstring curls in a fitness class. That's gonna work your hamstrings. We're also gonna work the quads, and then we're gonna get the upper body. Body as well. So always engage your core and you're going to hop 1, 2, 3, 4, up 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, up 2, 3, 4. I'll do it one more time and over. You can see I'm already out of breath. It's like you're doing all the hard work, Mom. Exactly. So those are just a couple of ideas that you can literally do from home. Between my living room and my kitchen, and I do stuff like this with my kids and my husband all the time.
That's really good too with all the time that, you know, we're spending on the computers, the whole wrist, the wrist thing that you were doing, that looked great.
Exactly, very good for carpal tunnel.
Absolutely. All right, Reena Vokoun, thank you so much.
Take care.
Thank you. Stay healthy and safe. All right, Lulu, I like how you kind of stayed in your lane there.
Yeah, you know me, I'm not crazy. I only do what I can. You gotta definitely stay in your lane. I will say though, Reena, she's adorable and you still do with that Bollywood, you get a great core workout. So it was good. Oh, Malou, stop it.
