It was this need that inspired both Chong and Kong to try to create a studio where they would be able to give the community yoga classes that were high quality and reasonably priced. 

In 2016, Chong and Kong’s dream became a reality with the launch of their yoga studio, Lab Studios. 

“We launched Lab Studios in 2016 with Yoga Lab with the mission of creating safe, accessible spaces for people from all walks of life to explore their practice. The name ’Lab Studios’ actually signifies a unique approach to fitness and wellness, with all classes created based on sequences that focus on the appropriate muscle groups to achieve optimal results,” Chong said.

Yoga Lab opened its first location along Hong Kong Street and immediately saw itself growing fast with the studio breaking even in its first month of operations alone. 

As the studio continued to grow, Chong began to expand her reach and stumbled across barre which is a workout that is centred around elements of dance, yoga and Pilates.

“I stumbled into a barre class, not really knowing what it was. I worked out my muscles in ways I never had before—I couldn’t walk down the stairs after my class. I went back the next day to figure out why and I ended up doing classes for 10 consecutive days. I got hooked,” Chong said with a smile. 

This inspired Chong to begin incorporating barre into her studio’s workouts in order to create more precise muscle training. Chong and Kong also managed to complete their first barre teacher training together in Hong Kong with Chong going on to further her barre certification in Australia and Bali. 

It was in 2018 that she opened Barre Lab to really focus on the practice and to introduce more people to it. 

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Chong decided to launch Lab on Demand in May that year to cater to the increased demand for online classes. The system offered a fixed-price, online-only monthly subscription plan that gave participants access to over 200 videos from Yoga Lab and Barre Lab lessons. They uploaded four new classes weekly and saw incredible success.

In fact, in just five years, Chong and Kong have taken Yoga Lab to incredible heights and have even managed to launch their new flagship Lab Studios in Holland Village that opened in August 2021.

However, that’s not all. Chong is currently preparing to launch The Flow Pilates by Lab Studios in January 2022.

The new studio is a joint venture with Tiffany Yow, the founder of The Flow Studio in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and will be bringing The Flow’s unique reformer methods and workouts to Singapore. The reformer method is an alternative to high-intensity training workouts and helps participants to get lean muscles and to sculpt while building endurance and flexibility. 

While Chong is clearly making huge moves in her career, she is certainly not neglecting her personal life. In fact, just recently, Chong became a mother and learnt that she was capable of so much more than she initially thought she was.

“We didn’t plan for a child and I never wanted to be a mother. But through the journey of pregnancy and motherhood, I have discovered in myself a different woman who is so much more than I can ever imagine myself to be,” Chong admitted.

She added that she is a very hands-on mum and that balancing her business with her son is a constant battle. 

“That’s two full-time jobs that demand 100 per cent of me. I find new strength every day to do this for my son and my business. It has been such a trying, yet amazing journey so far,” Chong said with a laugh. 

With her multiple responsibilities, Tatler spoke to Chong to find out how she plans her day-to-day schedule while juggling mummy duties.

What is a typical morning like for you?

Jasmine Chong (JC): I take Joshua, my one-year-old son, out for breakfast. We cycle to a cafe 15 minutes away from our home for our daily breakfast date. I usually have half an avocado, one sunny side up egg, sourdough toast, and an oat milk latte without sugar. We get home by 9.30 am for his nap, and I start my workday. 

What does a standard workday look like for you?

JC: I make time to attend a morning class after breakfast at one of our studios—Yoga Lab in East Coast or Barre Lab in Joo Chiat—to kickstart my day and set my headspace.

This prepares me to tackle the most difficult thing on my to-do list, which I will try to complete before I break for lunch. For me, lunch is a sacred time out. I don’t do any work. Instead, I read or listen to a podcast while I eat lunch, which is usually something simple. Sometimes I’ll meet a friend. I schedule my meetings after lunch and my workday typically ends at 4 pm, when I go home to make dinner for Joshua and put him to bed by 8 pm. 

What time do you usually have lunch? What do you usually have for lunch?

JC: Anytime between 11.30am and 3.30pm. I’ll eat whatever is available and convenient but I prefer something light and clean, like sushi and fish soup. I also love noodles. Once in a while, I allow myself to indulge in a bowl of bak chor mee.

Free time: overrated or underrated? Why?

JC: Free time is totally underrated, especially now that I have a son. Free time means breathing space, and that translates to a clearer mind to make better decisions and get creative. I try to schedule in pockets of free time, no matter how short, every day—just to re-centre myself.

How do you achieve a work-life balance? How do you set boundaries?

JC: I apply what I learn on the mat, during my yoga practice, into my life.

When balancing in a pose, you will begin to notice the little tweaks your muscles do to hold you in position. These little movements are necessary to find balance. If we allow these little movements to just be, we stay balanced. The problem is when we react to these constant movements and try to force or stop them. That's when we lose our balance.

Another important thing for balance is your gaze (or Drishti). If you fix your gaze on one unmoving object that is in front of you, you can stay balanced indefinitely or as long as you need to. If your gaze constantly shifts, you will lose your balance.

Translating this to life, I allow for minor changes to happen in my daily schedule and learn not to obsess over unplanned hiccups. Understanding the changing needs of my family and my business, I give myself the grace to allow for these “movements” to happen in my life.

So life is structured but not rigid. I have to pick the most important thing to focus on right now—and that is to form a secure attachment with my son. Studies have shown a child’s crucial development phase is from birth to the age of three. With this in mind as a key priority, it’s easy to decide how I set boundaries.

How do you deal with your shortcomings?

JC: I used to want to be good at everything. Now I find more grace for myself and acknowledge that there are areas I can become better at. I give myself more time and space to navigate those areas, seeking help and inspiration on how to become a better person. And most importantly, I allow myself to suck at it—but I still try, anyway.

What is an idea/thought that you heard recently, that you thought was interesting?

JC: The idea of gentle parenting and developing the child’s whole brain.

I was brought up in a traditional Asian family and was taught to obey without questioning. Tantrums were thought of as the sign of a badly brought up child, a failure on the parents’ part. So tantrums were not tolerated.

As Joshua is entering his toddler years soon, I know I want to be a different type of parent. I started exploring different ways of parenting, like playful parenting and most recently, gentle parenting. The approach is so different from what I know and how I was brought up. In fact, it might even be the complete opposite. But it makes so much sense.

I want Joshua to grow up in an environment where he can strive and build good solid relationships. And the whole-brain child method might be the answer to that: The more we focus on the long-term goal of building the connections in a child’s brain, the less we have to struggle with the short-term goal of getting them to do what we want in the moment.

How do you unplug?

JC: I relax with good wine and food. I am partial to Burgundy, especially wines from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair. I like Japanese and French food and I used to travel to try renowned restaurants like Sushi Shikon in Hong Kong, Tempura Kondo in Ginza, Tokyo and Joel Robuchon’s eponymous restaurant (which only opened for 16 months) at La Grande Maison in Bordeaux. Now that we cannot travel, I am very happy that we can find some really good choices here in Singapore, too. One of my favourite restaurants here is Esora. 

How do you manage stress?

JC: When it threatens to get overwhelming, I step away from work. If I don’t have the luxury of time, I’ll reach out to Betty Kong, my business partner and my mentor, for help to work together. Or I simply vent, and in the process, I will make sense of things.

What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?

JC: A habit from when I was in school: I always make sure I pack my bag and prep the clothes I’ll need to wear the next day.

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