Going Viral: Dancer Rukmini Vijayakumar Floors Netizens With Intense Yoga In Saree

Yoga in saree? Dancer Rukmini Vijayakumar has shown the internet it is possible. Where many still struggle to walk with proper equilibrium when six yards are draped around them, Vijayakumar is making backflips and cartwheels in a saree look not just cool but even super attainable. And netizens are hooked!

A video posted to Vijayakumar's Instagram, which shows the choreographer-actor perform intense exercise in a dhoti-style drape, has gone viral. Shared as "behind-the-scenes" from a project Vijayakumar did for World Yoga Day last year, the clip is set to the tunes of Uma Mohan's Shiva Tandava Stotram. 

"The things we can do in a well draped saree :-) !!" she wrote.

See the post in which she is seen performing yoga in saree below: 

Source: Rukmini Vijayakumar, Instagram

Rukmini Vijayakumar is the director for art setups like the Raadha Kalpa dance company and LshVa. Predominantly a Bharatanatyam dancer, she has performed solo worldwide and is known for her meticulous attention to her craft. Her dances are heavily themed, borrowing from Indian mythology and emotion.

As a choreographer, she has worked both in India and abroad, for instance in the Netherlands. Her acting spans the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi film industries, with her most prominent appearances being in Bommalattam, Kaatru Veliyidai, and Kochadaiyaan. 

Not Just Yoga In Saree, Women Are Hula-Hooping And Doing Backflips Too

Vijayakumar's reel has amassed over 70,000 likes on Instagram and hundreds of comments applauding her. Actor Shriya Pilgaonkar wrote, "Incredible." Another user wrote, "Argh. Why aren’t there more saree ads like this 😍" "WOW! Gracefully STRONG! Love it! 🔥😍" another commented.

Of late, several videos like Vijayakumar's have enraptured the internet, showing the extent of activities possible in a saree and how it doesn't and shouldn't hold people - especially women - back from their passions.

Last year in September, a video of hula-hooper Eshna Kutty dancing to Genda Phool in a saree and sneakers wowed the internet, bringing a little joy to pandemic blues. In December, another video of international yoga title-holder Mili Sarkar went viral in which she performed several consecutive backflips, all while wearing a regularly draped saree.

Watch it

Women can do everything that men can and they even do it better. They also can do many things that men cannot.

Meet Mili Sarkar, the woman whose backflip in a saree is breaking the Internet. She’s a Powerhouse of Talent! pic.twitter.com/1HTdFkB1kb

Women can do everything that men can and they even do it better. They also can do many things that men cannot.

Meet Mili Sarkar, the woman whose backflip in a saree is breaking the Internet. She’s a Powerhouse of Talent! pic.twitter.com/1HTdFkB1kb

— JITU🇮🇳BHARAT MAA KA LADLA🇮🇳 (@ASITKUM31859697) December 1, 2020

Image Credit: Rukmini Vijayakumar, Instagram