Just when you thought you were losing steam on your fitness goals — here’s another reason to work out. Celebrity trainer Namrata Purohit is bringing The Pilates Studio to Chennai this weekend. The 24-year-old, who is frequently spotted sharing pictures of her sessions with A-listers like Kareena Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, has been on quite an expansion spree having set up in Bengaluru in December, Delhi earlier this week and now Chennai, on Khader Nawaz Khan Road. The latter is a franchise that has been taken up by 23-year-old Thishya Reddy and mother Vinatha Reddy, who hail from the same family that runs the popular pub 10 Downing Street.
And opening up her brand in Chennai, Namrata says has been a long time dream, since the brand first opened in Mumbai almost a decade ago. “This city is very close to my heart, it’s where I would come to play my squash tournaments as a teenager,” recalls the national level squash player, footballer and certified scuba diver. She shares with a laugh, “And now there is surfing in Chennai as well. So I’m actually headed to Covelong Point the morning after the launch.”
This, is from a girl who believe it or not was advised by doctors to bid adieu to all sports after a severe knee injury, when she was thrown off a horse. Namrata was 15 at the time, and a chance pilates course with her dad not only rid her of her pain — but led her to take it a step further and become the youngest certified Stotts Pilates trainer in the world at age 16, a year later!
For those who have never tried it, she gives us a quick orientation on what to expect. “Yoga is on the mat, whereas pilates is more equipment-based,” she says. Expect to hear names thrown around like the stability chair, cadillac and ladder board. With a generous number of posture combinations to choose from, that work on strength, flexibility and endurance, the entrepreneur elaborates, “The Reformer alone has more than 500 different exercises you can do.”
Unlike a gym, all sessions (each 45 to 55 minutes) at this studio must be pre-booked for either an individual or a group class. And to maintain focused attention and customised workouts, Namrata tells us that numbers per class are kept as small as possible. “Four is usually where we stop at most of our studios,” specifies the fitness expert and author, who has spent the last two months getting city-based trainers up to par with her programme, in Mumbai. Off duty though, Namrata has tried something that does not involve ‘sweat’ for a change. Instead, she’s singing a song about it. “Manasi Scott and I have penned the lyrics and have sung it as well and it’s going to be out on my YouTube channel soon,” she shares, sounding a tad nervous. What’s it about? “Getting fit of course,” she responds.
Opens at No 3, Gitex Complex, Khader Nawaz Khan Road on February 3. Rs 1,200 for a single session (group) and Rs 2,200 (private). Free trials till the end of the month.