This young Singaporean is starting a free yoga series in Little India
The series is open to residents and migrant workers, and there are great ways to volunteer, too.
You may know Nithiya N. through her popular pop-up food series, Brunch Bandits, which has brought Ethiopian food to Spiffy Dapper and a barbecue party to the farms of Kranji. Now, the young Singaporean is tackling a new project.
On May 8, she will lead both residents of Little India and migrant workers in a free outdoor yoga event on Hindoo Road, the first of what she hopes will become a regular series. The session will be followed by a vegetarian breakfast, also free. Here she tells us why she started the initiative, and the many ways that you can volunteer to help.
How did this initiative get started?
I was in Bali, had just finished a yoga session, and got on to Facebook. It was filled with opinion pieces on a Jalan Besar MP's concern over large gatherings of foreign workers in Little India. And everything just connected. I mean, my grandfather was a migrant from South Asia. Access to activities that promote mental and physical health can be so cost prohibitive in cities like Singapore. Yoga used to be something you could just do anywhere, open to anyone, and feel good. So it was a matter of combining the two.
Location of the first Free Yoga in Little India session on Hindoo Road
You've previously been doing the Brunch Bandits series. Why was this initiative important for you to start?
The Brunch Bandits sessions are taking a break while I set this up but the aim is for it to be a long running program, where the community gets involved and steps in to lead the bi-monthly sessions in a variety of fun, fitness activities.
What did you have to do to set it up?
Social media was the kick off point. This whole initiative is based on what people are willing to give of themselves, be it through volunteering or turning up for that 90 minutes on the mat. It runs solely on people power. So I needed to create that community first. And then it was a whole host of emails and chats with organizations and institutions who I felt would be able to support. The response has been nothing short of amazing.
How did you score the space on Hindoo Road?
I got in touch with the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LiSHA) and it just happened that they were launching Project Oasis in Little India with the support of STB to create more community spaces in the neighborhood. We had a lovely chat and Free Yoga in Little India became part of their programming for May.
What will be the challenges of keeping the series going?
To get a permanent space in Little India that we will be able to use long-term to hold regular bi-monthly Sunday morning sessions. And people. To build that community of instructors to volunteers to co-organizers, willing to give their time and energy, who can take the lead when I am away, so the circle doesn't break, so to speak.
How can people participate?
Register on freeyoga.peatix.com and turn up on May 8th, 7:45am with open hearts. If you have a mat or can get one, please bring it. If you don't, we have a limited number available for your use. We are also taking donations of second hand mats. Insurgence SQ has very kindly offered their Dunlop Street space for a soup kitchen after the yoga session on May 22nd and we aim to give away a hundred meals. So if you are a restaurant, catering company or distributor interested to sponsor healthy, vegetarian meals, and water or coconut water, please get in touch!
Why is there a dress code?
Designer yoga fashionwear is a monster we can't ignore and I love me some funky yoga leggings as much as the next person. However, we want these sessions to be welcoming to all who attend, thus the encouragement of non-body-conscious attire that you can stretch comfortably in.
There have been a lot of migrant worker-related activities lately. Do you worry they might be tokenistic?
The amazing thing is that so many of these activities are being organised by young Singaporeans! It does seem to be very much a cause that has captured the attention of many in recent times. Do they really impact real change for the migrant workers? I do not know. For me, it is about trying to chip away at imaginary walls and inherent biases, to overlap social circles on the same level playing field, on Hindoo Road.
How will you invite workers to attend?
I will be getting in touch with the dormitories, and also have been going door to door with some of the shops in Little India to share the event. Through the Growell community and the Brunch Bandits sessions, we also have friends and coworkers who are migrant workers, so I will be harnessing their networks. We only have 40 spots for each session so slowly and surely.
To participate in the Free Yoga in Little India sessions, click here.
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