For me, yoga is a form of self- care rather than a workout: Nikki Galrani

While she loves her gym workouts, Nikki Galrani Pinisetty turns to yoga for something deeper. On International Yoga Day, the actress opens up about how yoga has helped her navigate life’s pressures. She tells us, “There’s a version of yoga for everybody.

It isn’t just great for your body but also for your mind.

Though it might seem a little boring sometimes because it can be slow-paced, it’s important for everyone to take the initiative and practice yoga.‘Even if I’m feeling demotivated, I have Aadhi to push me to practice yoga’Staying motivated isn’t always easy, Nikki admits, and that’s where husband Aadhi Pinisetty comes in. “Aadhi loves yoga and practices it much more than I do. He has been practising yoga for a very long time and is so much better at everything, be it in performing an asana, his focus during meditation or his flexibility.

I learn a lot from him every time we practice together. Even if I’m feeling lazy or demotivated, I know I have someone to push me.

”‘‘I RESTARTED YOGA WHEN I VENTURED INTO FILMS’Yoga was part of Nikki’s childhood. “I think I was first introduced to yoga when I was in sixth or seventh grade. There was a lady, who was also my neighbour, who used to teach us yoga. However, with growing up and life happening, there was a long break. But I restarted yoga when I ventured into films since I had a glimpse of it growing up and wanted to include it in my schedule.”

‘YOGA HAS TAUGHT ME THAT IT’S OK AND NECESSARY TO SLOW DOWN’Yoga has helped shape her outlook towards life. “A life lesson yoga has taught me is that it’s OK and necessary to slow down. Slowing down doesn’t mean you are doing any less; it simply means you are preparing yourself to do things better because a reset is needed. Yoga has also helped me navigate strength, anxiety and professional pressure. I’m a hyper person and a deep thinker, but when I sit down and meditate, it helps me to not stress about things I would otherwise worry about.

It gives a major sense of inner calm.”‘I FELL FLAT ON MY FACE WHEN I ATTEMPTED THE CROW POSE’Ask her about the easiest and most challenging asanas to pull off, and she shares, “A pose I do the most effortlessly is shavasana (the sleeping pose) because you get those few seconds of blissful rest at the end of a session. My trainer knows I always look forward to it. The most challenging has been the crow pose, where you balance your entire body weight on your hands with your legs up in the air.

I remember attempting it with a lot of confidence, only to fall flat on my face.

It was hilarious. Since then, I’ve been scared to try it again, but I’d love to master it some day.”‘Yoga is a way for me to connect with myself’Nikki views yoga as much more than a workout. “For me, yoga is a form of self-care rather than a workout. Workouts are what I do in the gym, but yoga is a way for me to go deeper and connect with myself, helping me work on myself for myself. It’s grounding. Only when you practice it for a certain period of time do you start to see its benefits. Once you begin seeing those benefits, that’s when you truly understand its importance and the role it has played in your life.

”