As the National Fatwa Council in Malaysia CONTINUES TO MOVE BACKWARD, those who have been ‘affected’ by the Yoga ban have been able to move forward. Here in this post I share with you an email sent out by Intan Suraya Hashim, Director of Studio W to all members at her facility. Studio W is an all-women facility in Kota Damansara, Selangor that offers group fitness classes, which of course, includes Yoga.
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 be on as per normal),
Intan Suraya Hashim
Director
Studio W
http://studiow.com.my/
Though it is still up to the State Government on how they are going to enforce this - I’m curious to know what’s being done by other health clubs/gyms.
Anyone care to share on what’s going on out there?
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our dearest government/leaders are jokers… the whole must have been laughing away by now… I think Malaysia is the 1st country to ban practising Yoga due to religion… Sigh!
BTW, where is the human rights? Where is the democracy?… I think the govt should give the people the rights to choose and make their decision…
I’m not Muslim and of course, this ban does not apply to me. I don’t practice yoga either. Why, then, do I feel the need to speak out on this anyway? For me, it has more to do with the way the issue was handled by the council. Did they ask the lecturer who raised it in the first place to submit his research findings that supports his allegation that yoga can erode the faith of Malaysian Muslims, and why just yoga and not karate, tai-chi, feng shui, silat, traditional medicine, the Internet, TV, etc. What, exactly, makes yoga stand out as a danger to the Muslim faith compared to these other things (especially the Internet- easy access to everything and anything you want to know about, including death cults and deviant teachings)?
TZ: Yeah.. but when did they give us the freedom to really choose anyway?
pete: You feel compelled to write because you are Malaysian. Just like me. :)
Guys, for your info, I was actually contacted by a Journalist from BBC London regarding my article on the Yoga Ban. So yes.. the world is watching - but such an embarrassing image is being portrayed!!
Finally..Finally..Finally….
This all about media.. This is all about Headlines..
The words are boombastic even there is no finall or further explanation on why YOGA is haram for muslim.
People without deep Islamic knowledge start chit chat and complains..
Why yoga?? Why not Karate?? Who to blame?? The technology??..news spread fast..when the karate time, the tech in this tech stage..we still need to post a letter..send to post office..
So..no issues..
Anything good for you there will b no harm in ISLAM…
Know wht is good and wht is no good.. Know what is halal and wht is HARAM..
If you find the class involve the spiritual…stop and go out from the class or anything suitable at tht moment..
Its amazing how it dawns on us about the illiteracy of these people who just throw the ban on peoples faces. I have learnt yoga at the age of 9years and teach yoga now. Till date i have not come across any of my students turning to any other religion due to the yoga i have taught. I have a mixed group of muslims, christians, hindus and sikhs. And all of them are infuriated with what is going on in this country ridiculing themselves. Of course some local malays who happen to be working at small posts have been watched by hawks and i feel sorry for them that they are scared to attend classes, but that is a minority. We have a good combination and unite well every evening and here the ban shows and brings sadness to human rights. I can just go on writing at the most silly thing that has happened in this country, but i guess its just wasting my energy on them. I will still carry on my classes as they were being done earlier. There is no religion when we do simple breathing exercises and postures.
i think they are on the wrong track.. practising yoga gives you sinewy arms and convert your to kaballah… witness madonna :)
Nutso rules! Malaysia is just a laughing stock now..sigh.
Misunderstanding of Yoga caused this ruckus. There are many, many, many forms of Yoga and some of them are indeed spiritual in nature. If you don’t think that there are forms of Yoga with spiritual aspects involved then you really don’t know your Yoga at all.
However most Yoga taught out there (99%) are standard physical exercise type Yoga that do not involve any spiritual teachings at all.
This ban was an overreaction by the govt, as is usually the case.
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