Studio Wow

We are on facebook!

2009-03-29T04:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Ladies,
We're finally on facebook! Please add us as fans and enjoy wonderful announcements, meet other members as well as receive facebook notifications for Studio W events!

Please upload pictures if you have about the Studio or check out our photos and tag yourselves.

Happy facebooking!

Links:
Studio W Open Week
Studio W Facebook
Studio W Articles

Correct Way to Weigh Yourself

2009-03-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

The correct way to weigh yourself

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.

WE MUST SPREAD THE WORD.

Official Launch: New Website

2009-03-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ikram, the beloved web designer has come up with a new look to usher in 2009. Yes, it is a bit overdue but the new website works wonders for Studio W.

We've work long and hard for the new look. Our new sections is the fitness articles will be filled with women-fitness related articles and our press coverage page will feature our latest interview.

Enjoy and do tell us what do you think of the new website.

What do you think about our new website?( free polls)

5 Tips to Lose Weight and Keep Yourself Motivated

2009-02-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

The new year is close to two months behind us but I'm glad to see that many ladies are still fired up about their new year's motivation to be healthier. I've been getting so many questions about how to lose weight and keep yourself motivated - so here's my top five tips:

Keep a WORKOUT DIARY - nothing beats that sense of accomplishment when you physically see that you've worked out three-five times in a week.

Rope in a friend - when you know that someone's counting on you, you'll make the extra effort to show up.

Drink lots of water - it keeps you full so you can avoid eating a huge meal after a workout because "you deserved it".

Eat NOTHING two hours before you sleep - this works wonders.

Get enough sleep - do this and you should be able to wake up just before your alarm goes off.

On the mat and beyond - a healing practice

2008-12-24T20:54:00.000-08:00

Guess what. An ENTIRE DAY of FREE yoga classes. Oooh... it makes my toes tingle with excitement!

One of our yoga teachers, Roslin, is organizing On The Mat and Beyond - A Healing Practice on Sunday, 4 January 2009. The all day event will be held the Bakti Siti Hasmah building in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail.

Classes offered during the event will be for those who won't normally have the chance to practice yoga:

the seniors - aged 50 years and above and beginners / first timers to yoga
the blind
the hearing and speech impaired
the critically and terminally ill
stroke patients the physically disabled
those with excess weight- BMI of 25 and above
families and couples/partners
those who hate to stretch
sports conditioning and rehabilitation for sportspersons/athletes

You can participate by attending the classes, sponsoring things they'll need during the event or by volunteering at the event - they'll need lots of people to help the disabled (they're coming from a home in Rawang), directing people to the right place and just making sure that the event runs smoothly.

I'll be volunteering at the event and am currently working on getting Ikram's entire basketball team to attend the sports conditioning session. I'm trying to drag my parents too but my dad thinks yoga is too girly for his taste. Oh well, you never know, he might change his mind.

For more information, please do visit http://www.onthematandbeyond.blogspot.com. Do leave a message at the board :)

Special Announcement

2008-11-23T23:06:00.000-08:00

Sunday, 23 November 2008

My dearest ladies,

I’m sure many of you are shocked that the National Fatwa Council (“the Council”) has now deemed yoga haram for Muslims.

According to the Star on 23 November 2008, the Council’s chairman, Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin, said that yoga had been practised by the Hindu community for thousands of years and incorporated physical movements, religious elements together with chants and worshipping, with the aim of “being one with God”.

But before you throw away your mat and burn your books , I wish to direct your attention to the Council’s statement that practicing yoga’s physical poses, known as asanas, without spiritual elements such as chanting and meditation is considered alright by Islamic law, although is not encouraged as “doing one part of yoga would lead to another”.

I am not writing to you to debate the details of the fatwa. Instead, I would like to make clear Studio W’s principles and intentions on this issue:

Our yoga classes are specifically designed to focus on and maximize the practice’s health and fitness benefits. A regular yoga practice will not only promote weight loss, lower blood pressure and reduce stress but will also increase muscle strength and definition, improve your body’s immune system and promote a healthier body image.

All yoga classes we offer are strictly based on doing physical yoga poses called asanas which is similar to gymnastics or acrobatics. Doing asanas involves physically contorting the body into various shapes to stimulate its bodily functions. Examples include increasing blood circulation for better nutrient absorption and activating the thyroid glands to regulate the body’s hormones.

No spiritual elements, such as chanting and meditation, are practiced in our yoga classes. We are and have always been fully aware of the religious sensitivity surrounding this issue – a topic raised not only by our Muslim ladies but our Christian customers too – and from day one, have promoted a purely physical yoga practice that is not affiliated with any particular religion.

Our yoga instructors have been carefully chosen based on their experience and formal training to ensure that our customers receive professional instructions for a purely physical, non-spiritual, yoga practice. They have also been fully briefed regarding the controversy between yoga and religion and as an added measure, are currently reviewing their classes to ensure that no spiritual element is present.

We have never heard of anyone who has deviated from their personal faith, converted to Hinduism or denounced religion because they practice yoga. Instead, every customer who has practiced yoga at our studio is pleasantly surprised at how this relatively gentle activity has improved their physical and mental wellbeing.

Personally, even after five years of practicing yoga, I’m still amazed at how asanas can make us healthier physically, mentally and emotionally just by simply bending your body this way and that. It would be a terrible loss for all Malaysians if we can’t continue to learn and nurture this beautiful practice.

I’ll see you in class (which will go on as per normal),

Intan Suraya Hashim
Director
Studio W
intan@studiow.com.my.

P.s: I had also written an article on Yoga and Religion for Shape magazine’s July 2008 issue, which is available at http://www.studiow.com.my/yoga-and-religion.html.

Yoga is ok

2008-11-11T00:04:00.000-08:00

According to Singapore's New Strais Times, MR MOHAMMAD YUSRI YUBHI MD YUSOFF, executive imam of the Al-Falah mosque in Singapore said, "Yoga is just another form of exercise..."

Check out the entire article on Singapore's New Straits Times website.

Yoga and Religion: Roslin and I in NST!

2008-11-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

And so, the National Fatwa Cauncil's announcement on whether yoga is haram for Muslims has been postponed to another date, which will be announced later.

However, prior to the announcement, Roslin, one of our yoga instructors, and I were both interviewed by the New Straits Times regarding yoga and religion. The article was published last Friday, 7 November 2008.

To view the article, check out NST's Why all this fuss over an ancient form of exercise?

Jazzercise's Shanna on "San Diego Alive"

2008-10-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Jazzercise Executive Vice President ,Shanna Missett Nelson, is featured on “San Diego Alive,” the newspaper’s health and fitness forum.

The video clip features Shanna and her family, and how to balance a busy life with fitness and nutrition.

Check it out at San Diego Alive. Click on the episode featuring Shanna Nelson posted on Oct 20, 2008.

Crazy fun

2008-10-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hahaha. This reminds me SO MUCH of those times in college when my friends and I would just do crazy things because we're so stressed up. It's a great laugh. Enjoy!

Re-do of Sunsilk ad by UiTM Melaka students

Jazzercise NEW Holiday Catalog

2008-10-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! For those who would like to cuci mata, check out Jazzercise's NEW Holiday catalog.

first am yoga practice in 6 weeks!

2008-10-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

This morning, after fighting with myself and my comfy bed, I managed to do my first morning yoga practice in 6 weeks. Argh...

I try to practice yoga in the morning at least 3 times a week. And although I don't jump out of bed whooping to exercise (instructors are human too, you know), nothing beats the feeling after I finish.

But I had to put my morning yoga practice on hold during puasa. I tried, I really did, but by the time I had to teach Jazzercise in the evening, I'm half dead. And it's really demotivating for my students, who are fasting themselves, to come to class only to see a half-dead instructor saying, "Ok, you guys (wheeze) go head. I (wheeze) am going to take a (wheeze) short break."

Mana boleh...

But wait... puasa month ended two weeks ago!!!

Hehe. Well... you know how difficult it is to jumpstart your exercise routine after taking an extended break.

So, this morning, I had no choice but to force myself to practice. I told my lazy self, "I don't care what you do. Just get on that mat." And I did. Half-asleep. But after five rounds of Sun Salutations (oh God, I forgot how tough Chaturanga Dandasana (yoga push up) can be!!!) I felt a lot looser and began to get into the groove of things.

By the time I was done, I was sweating like crazy. BUT my body felt so much lighter and I'm super energized. Ready to face the day. Woohoo!

DVB

2008-09-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

treadmill workstation

2008-09-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

Do you see yourself walking on a treadmill throughout your workday?

Well, some people are already (excuse the pun) jumping onto the bandwagon. Check out this New York Times article.

jazzercise instructor

2008-09-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

One of my students, Nani, attended the Instructor Movement Screening yesterday. She's just taken the first step to becoming a Jazzercise instructor. I'm so excited!

The movement screening was held in Damansara Jaya by Jazzercise's District Manager, Christina Yap. Despite fasting, Nani was sporting - she jumped, skipped, flea hopped and lifted weights. I got tired from just watching the entire thing.

bespoke tailor

2008-09-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was completely blown away when I found Thomas Mahon's blog about his bespoke tailoring business.

I love, love, love to read about how people run their businesses.

Thomas Mahon is a tailor (he makes men's suits) and was trained in the famous Savile Row in London. Now, however, he works from his kampung in Cumbria, in a gorgeous building called Warwick Hall, and visits London twice a month and the US thrice a year to see clients.

And during his spare time, he goes sailing.

Oh man... what a life.

Make sure you check out the English Cut documentary on the main page. It's fascinating!

old school kedai runcit

2008-09-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

You don't see this kind of old school kedai runcit much around KL anymore these days. Truly a walk down memory lane.

My mom was in dire need of kelapa and santan the other day because the one I bought from Giant was masam. And so, there I was, at 6 pm on a weekend during Ramadhan, pushing my way through the crowd of Ramadhan Bazaar shoppers in Pantai Dalam, looking for a kedai that sells kelapa parut ("Bagitau dia mama nak yang putih je tau! Tak nak yang ada warna coklat!!).

While waiting for the kelapa parut, I noticed this row of biscuits in front of the store. Remember those small round biscuits with a dollop of sugar icing on top? Oh man... that was good!

Except I also remember fighting with one of my sisters because she only ate the icing (and only the icing!) and would put back the biscuit into the Tupperware. Chait!

Selamat Berpuasa

2008-08-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

Selamat berpuasa everyone. Here's a picture of the CUTEST pizza shop in KL!

The Yellow Cab Pizza Co. in Jalan Raja Abdullah (near the Dang Wangi LRT station and the Asian Heritage Row) has only been open for one month. Heck, the dining area on the first floor is still under renovation! The bright yellow signboard caught my eye as I was picking up my sister from school a few days ago.

Ikram and I had the Four Seasons pizza for lunch there yesterday (Sunday). Oh man... the pizza was fantastic! The Four Seasons is basically four pizzas in one. So we each got a slice of the NY Classic (beef pepperoni), #4 Cheese (mozzarellla, cheddar, romano & feta), Anchovy Lovers (MY FAVOURITE! - black olives, anchovies, capers, roasted garlic, mushrooms & onions) and Roasted Garlic & Shrimp. Yum!

These two boys were also at Yellow Cab Pizza Co., eating lunch with their family. Oh, they seem to have a great time too.

Yellow Cab Pizza Co.
#50 Jalan Raja Abdullah
(at the corner of Jalan Raja Abdullah and Jalan Yap Ah Shak)
Kuala Lumpur

(03)2694-2003
www.yellowcabpizza.com

how to (properly) eat fruits

2008-08-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ikram forwarded to me all this great stuff about fruits. Fantastic!

chait!

2008-08-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

I've read about and met several "celebrity" yoga teachers of our time. Shockingly enough, it is the teachers from India, the birthplace of yoga, who usually gives me the not-so-nice impression of being so full of themselves.

But before you make your own deductions, check out this blog post about Bikram. For me, it is quite... upsetting.

To read the entire interview, please visit Julie's Health Club blog at ChicagoTribune.com.

how to clean your yoga mat

2008-08-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

That's my yoga mat - set out to dry after a thorough cleaning this morning.

Here's how to clean your yoga mat.

For light or spot cleaning

1) Wipe your yoga mat with a damp cloth
2) Leave to dry

For deep cleaning by hand

1) In a bucket, mix warm water with a very small amount of soap
2) Pour some of the water and soap mixture onto your map
3) Brush your yoga mat clean
4) Rinse with water, making sure you get all the soap out (any residue will make your mat slippery)
5) Roll up your mat and squeeze all the water out
6) Lay out to dry

For deep cleaning using a washing machine

1) Place your yoga mat into a washing machine
2) Add very little soap
3) Set your washing machine to "low" or "quick wash"
4) Lay out to dry

Cleaning your mat is easy. Don't complicate things. Have a great weekend!

Tupai-Tupai

2008-08-13T01:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite places to eat lunch on a workday is Tupai-Tupai near Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It's big, airy and has a tropical feeling about it. They even have pets! I always make sure to say hello to the big green lizard, the chipmunks and of course, the peacocks and peahens. Very pretty!

At Tupai-Tupai, you can choose to sit on a chair at a table OR (get this) sit on a long bangku sekolah at a long table that can sit four people. Oh, it's so cute!

I've always loved that bangku sekolah. When I have my own house, I'm definitely going to have one of those.

Anyhow, the best thing about Tupai-Tupai for lunch is actually the nasi campur lauk kampung, which is available only on weekdays, for us working people. They've got great variety, complete with ikan bakar and botok-botok (a Johorean dish my previous boss introduced to me). Oooooh la la!

Now, since puasa is around the corner, I know Tupai-Tupai also has a great Ramadhan buffet. I personally have never been to the buffet (I'm not a fan of Ramadhan buffets - I don't really want to eat by the time buka puasa rolls around) but a few of my friends have and they've said nothing but good things about it. So, you might want to check it out.

So, the next time you're thinking about going someplace nice for lunch, try out Tupai-Tupai.

P.S: Tupai-Tupai is not paying me anything to write this entry. I'm just hungry and trying not to think about eating a whole box of cookies. Gotta keep these fingers busy!

Jazzercise in Japan

2008-08-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Interesting fact of the day - Jazzercise is BIG in Japan. Seriously BIG. Come on, look at the size of that class!

Apart from the sheer number of people in the class, something else caught my eye. Everyone was wearing Jazzertogs, Jazzercise's line of fitness and lifestyle fashion. Everyone looks great!

Well, in case you're wondering where you can get your own Jazzercise tops, you can order them online from www.jazzercise.com. Just click on Shop the Store. Jazzertogs comes out with new stuff every three months so if you see something you like, get it immediately. They always sell out.

But because the merchandise is shipped directly from the States, be prepared to pay some serious shipping and handling charges (starts at USD39.95 and increases with the value of your purchase). Also, if the value of the stuff you bought exceeds USD150, the lovely people in Kastam Malaysia will write you a nice big bill for "Import Tax".

So, for me, for now, Jazzertogs is a teeeeny bit expensive to buy. But I always go go online to check out the latest tops and bags. Very nice to cuci mata. Haha.

who is a yoga teacher?

2008-07-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... Savasana (Corpse Pose). Deep relaxation. A yoga teacher of mine once said that "doing" (since you're relaxing all your muscles, you're not really doing - you're "being") Corpse Pose for ten minutes is more refreshing than a nap.

I've practiced yoga with several teachers now and have learned a lot - everyone's got their own style. Among others, one is very dynamic (his class is very flow-y), one tuned me in to the finer aspects of yoga (it's more than a fitness craze) and another is a stickler for technique.

But each and every one are passionate about yoga.

Which is why I got quite upset the other day - the term "yoga teacher" is used oh-so-loosely these days.

You see, these last few weeks, I've been getting a lot of phone calls from yoga teachers looking for classes to teach. Either (a) a whole batch of yoga instructors just got a certified and somebody gave everyone my number or (b) a lot more people know about Studio W. Yeay!

Whatever the reason, my answer was always, "I'm sorry dear, we don't have any openings right now but I'll call if I need a substitute instructor."

And last week, I did call one of them to sub a class. She agreed and I said we need to discuss her class sequence. Her reply, "You have rules and regulations?!!" immediately gave me bad vibes.

Err, yeah. There are a gazillion ways to conduct a yoga class. I can't just let you do whatever.

And so, there I was, on the phone for a whole half hour, coaxing this girl to JUST TELL ME WHAT SHE DOES IN A NORMAL, EVERYDAY CLASS THAT SHE TEACHES. And she positively fumbled. "What do you mean? Every class is different. I don't know what I am going to do yet."

Yes, every class is different. But teachers always have a basic formula they follow to arrange their sequence of poses. As an example, I mentioned a sequence of some basic poses including Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations - absolutely superbly basic), Utkatasana (Chair Pose) and Savasana (Corpse Pose).

But when she heard me refer to the Sanskrit names she said, "What's that? I don't know that."

Argh! How can you tell me you don't know what a Sun Salutation is when you tell me you teach yoga?

Her reply was, "I don't teach Hatha Yoga. That's very slow and boring. I teach Power Yoga."

Ok, before we go on, dear reader, Hatha Yoga is the physical aspect in yoga philosophy. Every type of "yoga" that involves doing poses stems from Hatha Yoga. So, there is NO WAY you can teach Power Yoga without learning Hatha. Power Yoga usually refers to Ashtanga Yoga, a very specific sequence of poses (Hatha, hello!) that emphasizes linking your movements to your breath.

Back to our story. So now, apparently you CAN teach Power Yoga without learning Hatha.

This particular instructor got certified by a place that specializes in personal training and aerobics. Their version of Power Yoga is essentially doing muscle toning exercises based on yoga poses and Pilates moves.

Which explains why they didn't refer to the poses in Sanskrit. They deconstruct each pose for its muscle toning ability and incorporate that into a personal training program. That's not yoga. That's personal training/muscle toning/calisthenics.

The thing that upset me the most was that she specifically told me, "I teach yoga." That is blatant misrepresentation. The moment you say "yoga teacher", people immediately expect certain things. If you teach a muscle toning class that combines yoga and Pilates, then say that. Not something else.

Taste that Coffee

2008-07-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, my sister, Iman, and I attended a coffee tasting session in Malaysia's 100th Starbucks outlet in Jaya One, PJ. Oh, we learned a lot and had so much fun!

We learned about the history of coffee, where coffee is grown all around the world and the unique taste of the beans according to its geography. It took me a while to recognize the difference between the different blends but now terms like earthy, citrus and exotic make a bit more sense than, say, last week.

We also learned about food pairings - which foods are best eaten with coffee. Wow. That was a party of tastes right there. Totally reminded me of Disney's Ratatouille. You know that scene where Remy ate a strawberry together with cheese? There were fireworks and music. Oh yeah, same thing happened with coffee and that delightful fruitcake they gave us.

Starbucks always knows how to wow its customers - this time they gave everyone a goodie bag to bring home. We each got a Starbucks coffee mug, a bag of limited edition Peaberry coffee beans, a Coffee Passport (so cute!) and stamps of the different blends we tasted that day. Love them all!

And everyone was really sweet to let me take a group photo. That's me, trying to stifle a big grin. I always get a coffee high when I drink coffee. I'll talk a lot for a long time.

Oh, and where was Ikram, you ask? Well, Iman and I found him passed out at Wendy's (located just across Starbucks) after eating a one lb triple decker cheeseburger during lunch with his basketball buddies. Haha.