Ong Chin Huat attends a Wheel Yoga Class at the new Jal Yoga Studio in Pavilion Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur and speaks with the co-founder Jasmine Loh about the benefits of Infrared Heat Yoga.
With all things spiritual and ethereal taking centre stage, it’s no wonder that Yoga Concept Studio Jal Yoga is charting an expansion course throughout the region and beyond from its native Singapore origins.
With six yoga studios in Singapore and three in Malaysia—the latest one just opened at Pavilion Bukit Jalil—Jal Yoga is poised to benefit from this recent boom in health and wellness. Founded in 2018 by Pardeep Fogat and his wife Jasmine Loh, Jal Yoga has become a beacon of light and a guiding force for those on a personal journey of self-discovery.
“I was living and working in KL for two years as my company assigned me here,” Jasmine said during the grand opening of their new yoga studio at Pavilion Bukit Jalil. “This was in 2012 and I gained a lot of weight living here and gained 6 kg.”
After two years, she returned to Singapore, and instead of running, which she usually would do, her friends asked if she would consider doing yoga.
She joined a yoga studio near her home, and because she couldn’t follow the instructor in her class, she decided to opt for one-on-one personal training instead. Fate would have it that the personal instructor who was assigned to her ended up being her husband.
The first thing her then instructor told her was that if she started practising yoga, her age would stop. She was 46 years old then, and the first thing that popped into her mind was, “I should have started doing yoga earlier!”
Yoga not only helped Jasmine relax and relieve work stresses but also benefited her running, as she found she could run longer distances.
She became friends with Pardeep first before eventually marrying him in 2020. “I was a Sales and Marketing Director with a regional role, but I got tired and gave up,” she says.
With two complementary skills—Pardeep being the Yoga expert and Jasmine contributing the commercial aspect—both of them decided to start Jal Yoga in 2018.
Within two years, the husband-and-wife team opened five yoga studios in Singapore. Today, in addition to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Jal Yoga is present in Jakarta and Dubai and plans to open branches in the Philippines and Taiwan. “We have an ambition to bring Jal Yoga to the world!” says Jasmine.
One of Jal Yoga’s claims to fame is its introduction of Infrared Heat Yoga, which was noted for its therapeutic properties and benefits, such as improved circulation, flexibility, cellular health, and better skin.
“Unlike hot yoga, which some practitioners find quite unbearable because of the heat, Infrared Heat Yoga is a much gentler option as the temperature in the studio is tagged at our body temperature, which is 37 degrees,” says Jasmine.
The Infrared technology employed in Jal Yoga studios is the same as that used by physiotherapists for pain management. It also has the added benefits of relaxing muscles, reducing cellulite, and promoting weight loss. Fans of Infrared Heat also believe that it might stop the replication of viruses and bacteria in the body.
“We had one goal in mind, which is to create a welcoming space where everyone, no matter their fitness level, age or body shape, could experience real Yoga,” says Pardeep. “Our name comes from the Sanskrit word for water – Jal is formless, seamless and free flowing to adapt everywhere, a quality we at Jal Yoga intend to be to help people tap into their own ability to adapt.”
Adapting is what the other complementary practices available at Jal Yoga seek to do. Apart from normal yoga, Jal Yoga also offers Aerial Yoga, Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates and Barre classes.
“We are also the first studio to introduce yoga, Barre and Pilates under one brand in both Malaysia and Singapore,” says Jasmine. “Pilates is very good for back pain, and combined with yoga, it’s helped me avoid going for surgery.”
With a mix of instructors, both local and coming from India, Jal Yoga has indeed created a community of yogis who not just come to the studio to practise but also to mix and mingle. Believing that yoga is not a fad – unlike what you see on social media, with some people doing fantastical poses – Jal Yoga welcomes people of all ages and levels.
“Our branding appeals to a more mature crowd; our oldest member is 78; these are the people we wish to attract. People who are serious about their health and are committed to improving their selves.”
Today, Jasmine stays committed to her yogi way of life, practising two hours a day. What advice does she have for those like her who wish to leave the rate race and begin a new venture? “If you have a good idea, go ahead. Don’t let your age stop you.”
For further information on Jal Yoga, please visit www.jalyoga.com.my.