Ladies have the luxury and freedom to wear and be whatever they want at Studio W, a fitness studio that caters to women only. KL Yoga speaks to Intan Suraya Hashim, co-founder of Studio W, on her fitness studio and her thoughts on yoga and spirituality.
Just For The Ladies
Classes in session at Studio W
When Intan and Ikram first set up Studio W two years ago, their aim was to provide a comfortable environment where ladies could perform at their best without feeling self-conscious about the way they looked, a place where it didn’t matter if they were wearing a baggy-T or if they had no lipstick on.
As Intan explained, she had noticed that large gyms in the Klang Valley catered mainly to mixed genders or at most, allocated only a small separate section for women. There is also the constant pressure to dress up and look good at these gyms, which may be a hindrance to some.
Intan recalls a shocking incident when she overheard a crew member of a local gym refer to the ladies’ section as “the place where fat women exercise.” Strongly disagreeing with this “unhealthy concept where women are told they have to be a certain size and shape”, Intan was driven to provide a proper venue where women could feel confident about themselves and not be judged by their appearance. “By removing distractions, they can concentrate fully on their workout,” she said.
Intan energetically conducting a workout
In addition to this, Intan wanted her studio to be friendly to all religions and cultures. At a ladies-only environment, muslim women could comfortably remove their head scarves for a good workout. The studio also conveniently provides a prayer room for muslim ladies who will not have to rush to or from their homes for Maghrib prayers.
Yoga and Religion
Studio W offers three types of yoga classes – Power Yoga, Flow Yoga and Alignment Yoga, which are conducted by her team of certified yoga instructors and on occasion, by herself. It was no wonder that Intan was taken aback when she received news that the National Fatwa Council had announced that yoga was haram in Islam on November 22, 2008 as it involved religious elements of Hinduism.
After much objection from the people, the issuance of a fatwa (Islamic ruling) prohibiting practise of yoga among muslims was later deferred.
Since then, Intan has been outspoken on the issue of yoga and religion. She appeared in a video for local news website Malaysiakini (http://www.studiow.com.my/press.html) and contributed a thought-provoking article to Shape Magazine on the controversial issue of yoga and Islam.
Classes in session at Studio W
Intan believes that the whole debacle could have been avoided if only the Council had properly researched on and observed how yoga classes were conducted locally before issuing the Fatwa. “Yoga classes conducted in Malaysia do not have spiritual elements such as chanting or meditation, and are merely a form of exercise,” said Intan. She adds that,
Muslims in Malaysia are extremely grounded in their religion and do not attend yoga classes to seek out spirituality but for health purposes.
She has also clarified the issue with several yoga experts in the country who are of the opinion that yoga is not a religion, but simply a physical exercise. However practitioners may choose to incorporate their own spiritual elements into the exercise, though it is not compulsory to do so.
Intan encourages those who have concerns regarding yoga and spirituality to sit in some of the classes and observe the sessions for themselves before deciding to take up yoga classes.
The Business of Staying In Shape
Intan energetically conducting a workout
Intan’s interest in fitness started in 2005 when she began attending Jazzercise classes to fill up her leisure time and to lose weight. For those who have yet to come across this form of exercise, Jazzercise is a cardio work-out with elements of dance, kickboxing, resistance training, Pilates and Yoga.
Seeing positive results through her weight loss, she was hooked. And since she had always desired to start her own business, it seemed natural that she would start her very own fitness studio with her partner, Ikram.
As she mastered Jazzercise, Intan would practise yoga on the side to complement her workout. Through her own self-practise, she found that yoga helped her become more aware of her body. “Yoga taught me to understand my body and respect my body’s limitations, and to progress through patience and proper breathing, without straining myself,” she said.
Classes in session at Studio W
On the subject of the standards of yoga at her studio, Intan says she is particular about hiring experienced and quality yoga instructors as she believes that it is important for her students to learn the right techniques so as to prevent injuries. She also stresses on building long-term teacher-student relationships so that her instructors could better understand the needs and limitations of each of the students.
Intan certainly comes off as one who puts her students well-being above all else in Studio W. The spacious studio, located at Dataran Sunway in Kota Damansara, is a place not just for a great workout, but also where women can truly let their hair down, have a great full-body workout and build lasting friendships.
The spacious studio allows for large classes
Studio W is located at 16-3, Jalan PJU 5/17 Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara 47810, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. For further details, contact Intan at 012-324 5144 or via email at intan@studiow.com.my, or visit their website at www.studiow.com.my.
