PART-TIME yoga instructor R. Lalitha is an absolute all-rounder because when her yoga classes were limited due to Covid-19 pandemic, she took on the role of a cook – emphasising on healthy eating lifestyle.
She is the owner of Yathra Yoga Studio, which was set up in 2015. There are some 50 members registered with the studio. Its members are as young as six years old to as senior as 80 years old.
The studio is located at Sri Nibong Complex, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in Sungai Nibong.
The word all-rounder best suits Lalitha as she does not only holds the title of a yoga instructor and a cook, but also works as a full-time project manager in a multinational company based in Penang for over 12 years now.
When asked why she ventured into yoga as part-timer, Lalitha said she was inspired when she was a student at The Temple of Fine Arts (TFA), which is located in George Town.
TFA is a venture by the Indian community to impart the richness of Indian arts to the community; mainly to promote Indian fine arts such as music, dance and culinary arts.
“It was inevitable for me to start up my own studio five years ago, and I have to thank TFA for playing a huge role in this decisive move that proved to be fruitful.
“But due to the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) that was imposed in March this year, I decided to venture into cooking as well – an area that I am extremely familiar with.
“I am a full-time vegetarian; therefore, I only cook and sell vegetarian-based dishes.
“This initiative was purely based on my passion for cooking, and I thought it would be a great sync with the main function of conducting yoga classes, which is to encourage healthy living,” Lalitha said during an interview session with Buletin Mutiara recently.
She is specialised in cooking unique traditional Indian vegetarian dishes such as ‘curry leaves kolumbu’, ‘potato masala’, ‘gongura with pumpkin masala’, ‘banana flower poriyal’ and many others.
Due to her tight schedule of manning a day job and the ongoing yoga classes, she only cooks dishes for as many as 10 people a day.
Lalitha still conducts yoga classes for her students, both face-to-face and virtually, with certain restrictions.
“With the conditional movement control order (CMCO) now, only 10 members are allowed at a time for face-to-face classes in the studio.
“I have to limit the number of participants due to the situation that we are facing now. It is my responsibility to ensure the safety of my students,” Lalitha added.
While only 10 members are allowed in the studio at a time, Lalitha said other standard operating procedures (SOPs) such as temperature checks, hand sanitising, disinfecting commonly used places and others are conducted diligently.
When asked about her future plans, Lalitha has a vision of further enhancing her cooking skills, especially to prepare more healthier dishes.
“Prevention is better than cure, therefore, I urge everyone to consider yoga and eat healthy food to live not only long but healthy,” she added.
For further information about the yoga classes and other related issues, call Lalitha at 016-4112378.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi