A young woman is practicing yoga.
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Meet the Malaysians who embody #yogainspiration

“Yoga is not to be performed; yoga is to be lived. Yoga doesn’t care about what you have been; yoga cares about the person you are becoming. Yoga is designed for a vast and profound purpose, and for it to be truly called yoga, its essence must be embodied," Fire of Love author and one of the foremost yoga masters in the world Aadil Palkhivala once wrote.

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The art and practice of yoga is believed to have started at the very dawn of civilisation and the science of yoga is rooted in a history that dates back thousands of years ago, long before the first religions or belief systems were born. Aside from building muscle strength, increasing blood flow, improving flexibility, preventing diseases, and easing aches and pain, it also boasts benefits that extend beyond the mat.

This International Yoga Day, we take a look at five Malaysian yoga enthusiasts who inspire people to find balance and seek inner peace within their own body, mind, and soul through yoga.

1. Jojo Struys

Trust. Flow. Be present.

These are the words that founder of co-healing space OhanaJo, one of the largest yoga and sound healing studios in Malaysia, Jojo Struys shares on her Instagram. Struys made a name for herself as a regional TV host before her career flowed towards the direction of a wellness speaker and yoga teacher. She spent 20 years practising Pranayama breathing techniques and yoga training at the foothills of the Himalayas, attending sessions that lasted 14 hours a day at an ashram in Rishikesh, India, before becoming a fully certified yoga instructor.

Aside from sharing tips and manifestations from her daily yoga sessions, she also conducts classes, signature meditations, and sound baths at OhanaJo.

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Follow her here.

2. Edward Chung

An accountant by profession and a certified yoga instructor by pure passion, Edward Chung aims to inspire others in staying committed to long-term health and fitness goals, understanding that the beauty of yoga lies within unlocking one’s potential and self-empowerment. He utilises his social media space to ease aspiring yogis into the practice by sharing videos and proper alignments and techniques to get your body off the ground.

One of the rare few male practitioners in Malaysia and known for his strong, creative, and interesting sequences, Chung has been teaching since 2018. He also hosts both virtual as well as in-person private or group classes at Yoga Moment.

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Follow him here.

3. Datin Dian Lee

Film producer and director, property developer, retreat owner, and mother of three, Datin Dian Lee believes in sharing love through the divine practice of yoga. In 2016, Lee found herself in need of more profound meaning and purpose and embarked on a yoga teacher training in Bali with Tara Judelle, which gave Dian a new outlook on life and inspired her to start her journey to a 'conscious evolution'. She's also a graduate of The Sacred Science of Sound in Los Angeles and is under the mentorship of professor Jeralyn Glass for Crystal Alchemy sound healing. 

Between sharing snippets of her family life and being an activist at the grassroots level on Instagram, she also inspires her followers to find peace and self-love and to create a positive relationship with themselves.

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Follow her here.

4. Hansen Lee

Established actor, TV host, emcee, and movement coach with over 20 years of experience, Hansen Lee is no stranger to the fitness and wellness scene. A firm believer that yoga is not just an exercise but also a way of living and being, Lee has learned from some of the best teachers around. To the beginners, he says, "It's totally okay to not know exactly how each pose or movement should be done, a lot of the benefits really come from figuring it out As long you are practising with a sense of mindfulness, attention and kindness towards yourself, your practice will grow and it will be uniquely yours.”

He currently teaches hatha yoga, hatha vinyasa, and power yoga at Ommosapiens.

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Follow him here.

5. Rin Zheng

They say that good things come in small packages and the same can be said about pint-and-a-half-sized school-teacher-turned-fashion-designer-turned-yoga-instructor Rin Zheng. The Bachelor of Physical Education & Sport Science graduate first experienced yoga some 20 years ago as a form of stretching, but it wasn't until recently that she started practising it more consistently and mindfully. Through her Instagram, she imparts the benefits of the physical practice with the goal of making it accessible to everyone.

If you're keen to get on the mat, Zheng also teaches yoga at Karma Yoga, 1EarthYoga, and Under The Light.

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Follow her here.

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