EdFringe Talk: The Anti “Yogi”

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve had to really trust my intuition, even while working with collaborators who may have more experience.”

WHO: Mayuri Bhandari

WHAT: “Are you worthy of the Goddess’s blessings? Or her wrath? Join Mayuri Bhandari and Kali, the Goddess of Death every day as they navigate the absurdities of Western Yoga culture. Liberation, not Lululemon! This award-winning Hollywood Fringe show blends dance, drama, comedy, poetry and live percussion by renowned musician Neel Agrawal. Mayuri gives voice to the true ethos of yoga, weaving together cultural appropriation, decolonisation and community. Come peel back the yoga mat and join the revolution! PS: You don’t need to know anything about yoga to see this show!”

WHERE: Jade Studio at Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 12:40 (55 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is my first time at the Edinburgh Fringe—and honestly, I couldn’t be more excited. I visited Edinburgh once, many years ago, but coming here as an artist for the Fringe will be an entirely different experience. There’s something about this festival that feels almost mythical. I’ve heard so many stories—about the artists, the energy, the chaos, the breakthroughs, the opportunities. It’s the mecca of theatre festivals- so to speak- a rite of passage for so many performers. It’s where solo shows I really admire, like Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, first took off. And now, I finally get to be part of it.

What makes this even more special is that there are a lot of firsts: performing, producing, and bringing my first solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time. I premiered THE ANTI “YOGI” at Hollywood Fringe last year—it was my debut as a writer, performer, and producer—and I was really touched by the response. While it’s a one-woman show, I’m definitely not doing it alone. I’m so grateful for the incredible folks helping bring this piece to life—my brilliant percussionist Neel Agrawal, my visionary co-directors and co-dramaturgs Shyamala Moorty and D’Lo, my producers (Mike and Nigel at Fringe Management), Syona Varty, Rena Patel, and my social media team: Trish Hosein and Amie from Fringe Management. It truly takes a village.

I didn’t get the chance to go to theatre school, but I’ve always been a performer from a very young age—I was that kid putting on spontaneous plays, making up poetry on the spot, and belting out and reenacting every Disney sing-along in the living room. So in a way, this moment feels like I’m reconnecting with my inner child, but from a place of awe and wonder as an adult.

Last year, Hollywood Fringe had around 400 shows. Edinburgh is nearly 7 times that. The sheer scale alone is mind-blowing. I’m excited (and a little nervous) for the challenge—the stamina it’ll take, the intensity, and the rush of being surrounded by artists from all over the world, each telling bold, edgy, deeply personal stories. I can’t wait to share my work with international audiences, witness and connect with other artists, and see what journey lies in store.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Set a deadline, and just focus on the work, not the outcomes—the rest will come. That has rang true for me. If I’m truly committed, I can trust the process. Because I put so much in, I’ve been able to actually enjoy performing and be present. I’ve also learned to give myself grace along the way.

Since 2024, I’ve really started to understand the importance of holding space for both the artistry and the business. It’s called the entertainment business. I’ve had to learn how to promote the show, especially by connecting one-on-one with people in a real way. I found that social media can be an advantageous tool – to have the show reach and connect with so many international audiences. And that’s been powerful—because this solo show isn’t just about me. It’s about practices and issues much bigger than I.

I’ve also learned to invest in myself—not only financially (this was the first time I ever put this amount of money in my own work- but who will believe in me more than myself?), but also emotionally and creatively. I’ve had to really trust my intuition, even while working with collaborators who may have more experience. I absolutely take advice, but I’ve learned to hold on to the parts of the work I feel deeply connected to—because no one else will see the show exactly the way I do.

One surprise? The admin work never ends—and it only grows as the show grows. Figuring out how to expand the team has been both exciting and challenging. I’m very intentional about who I bring into the process, and having a team that truly believes in the purpose of the show makes a huge difference.

And then there’s the voice—literally. I’m learning how to bring together my activism and my artistry so they’re not separate—but part of the same, evolving conversation.

Tell us about your show.

The Anti “Yogi”: Liberation, Not Lululemon is a theatrical critique of Westernized yoga culture, told through the lens of an Indian American artist and yoga professor—me. As someone from the very culture yoga originates in, I explore what it means to be a minority in a practice deeply rooted in my heritage, yet often distorted, exploited, and commodified in the West.

The show dives into themes of cultural appropriation, identity, decolonization, and the erasure of South Asian voices. A “yogi” isn’t someone in Lululemon doing hot yoga—it’s someone who renounces worldly life in pursuit of truth. What we often see today is the exact opposite. I wanted to create work that doesn’t just talk about these issues like a lecture, but allows people to feel them— it resonates differently.

Even though I teach these topics at the university level, I realized I needed to express them through my art. This show brings together all the forms I love—live sound, rhythm, movement, visual poetry, and character work. It’s deeply personal, but it’s not just about me. I created it for everyone—but especially for South Asians and people of color to feel seen, to connect, and to reflect on the erasure of our own histories.

I wrote, performed, and originally produced the show at Hollywood Fringe 2024, where it premiered to wonderful reviews. Now I’m working with Fringe Management to bring it to Edinburgh, alongside an incredible team: my co-directors and dramaturgs Shyamala Moorty and D’Lo (who inspired me with To T or Not to T), and percussionist Neel Agrawal, who joined close to showtime but elevated the piece with his live instrumentation—he plays 9–10 Indian and Western percussion instruments and truly raises the frequency of the show. (There are so many more beautiful collaborators who make this possible.)

Jessica Johnson supported the early development, which led to my connection with Fringe Management (Mike, Nigel, David, Amie), and later with producers Syona Varty and Rena Patel. Incredible Trish Hosein handles our social media, and I’m excited to work with our tech lead, Alexei Veprentev.

After Edinburgh, I intend to take the show to Adelaide Fringe and New Zealand, followed by a wider international tour—across the U.S., and hopefully U.K., India, Canada, Europe, and South America. People have reached out from all over via social media asking to bring the show to their cities, and I’d love to make that a reality!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

There are so many shows I want to check out—but I’d like to give a shout out to the ones coming from here in LA! I’m genuinely excited to see these myself and support my fellow creatives:
Alongside our show at Greenside, we’ve got some kind peeps doing a double whammy of two shows each!

Olivia Raine Atwood is performing in Faking It, a true-to-life comedy about her classified mission evaluating NYC hospitals, and Oops, a hilarious piece about professional matchmaking. Also at Greenside is Soness Stevens, bringing two very different shows: Bigger in Japan, a solo stand-up storytelling piece about finding fame abroad, and Anime-Zing!, a game show where voice actors dub anime clips live on stage!

Another show from our Hollywood Fringe crew is There’s Something Seriously Wrong with Cyrus by Cyrus Deboo—a one-man show about an Indian-Persian gay man navigating the complexities of his identity. Outside of the LA circle, I came across Kanpur: 1857—based on Indian historical events. It’s a new play by Niall Moorjani that comically satirizes contemporary conflicts around gender, colonial violence, and making art in times of crisis.

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