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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:

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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.

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