Fitness Mantra: ‘Yoga is a process of enlightenment for me’

“He asked me if I was only doing yoga for selfish reasons or if I was giving back to society. At that point, I was only doing miscellaneous charity work but nothing large-scale. So it motivated me to begin my own yoga academy, called Akshar Yoga Academy,” says the actress, who is most known for her roles in Kannada films. What started off as one small space in Koramangala, Bengaluru, has grown to a 20-plus chain across the city.

Her tryst with yoga began when her fitness routine felt irregular. “On days when I have a shoot, I wake up by 5 am and have the perfect regime — workout, diet et al. However, on the days when I am free, I tend to wake up late and slack off. I didn’t like this happening so I decided to join a yoga class near home to maintain consistency in my schedule,” she says.

The actor, who’s making her debut in Tamil this year, feels, “Yoga changed my life because now, I feel happier. Even on days when I am really angry, I pick up my exercise mat, do some power yoga exercise and vent all my frustration out. It is a process of enlightenment for me since it takes on a deep internal journey.” 

Acro: A combination of acrobatics and yoga where balancing can improve concentration and the massage elements can provide stress relief

Danda: A specially designed five-foot staff is used in this form of yoga to align the mind and awaken the spine (inner danda)