We Are ClassPass: The Yoga Co.

Originally founded and owned by Sandra Tang and yoga teacher Maylis Cao, The Yoga Co. was recently bought over by Ashy (@ashyclair). What sets the studio apart from other from the other yoga studios is that they approach traditional yoga philosophy as its basis for all their classes. Marrying yoga philosophy with all their other workouts like HIIT and calisthenics, The Yoga Co. is then able to reach a larger audience, whether they are long time yogis or new practisers. Ashy, alongside her husband, Haaziq, also founded a calisthenics studio @startstationsg. It is definitely no easy feat having to work with the visions of both studios and we talk to Ashy to find out more about how she so gracefully handles the balancing act of running two studios simultaneously.

Congratulations on taking over The Yoga Co! Tell us something about yourself. 

I think not many people know this but Haaziq and I started Start Station right after graduating from NUS - everyone around us thought we were crazy! When we started, our vision for Start Station was to introduce bodyweight fitness to beginners to start their fitness journey with Calisthenics, but eventually branch out to other bodyweight fitness styles like yoga, martial arts, parkour, animal flow etc. Now that we've acquired The Yoga Collective, everything feels like it's coming full circle and we get to further our vision of Start Station in a different way because The Yoga Collective houses not just yoga, but also Calisthenics, Yogasthenics, HIIT and Barre - different forms of bodyweight fitness styles that complement each other and help build not just functional strength, but also flexibility, proprioception, endurance and mindful movement.

How do you balance being the co-founder of both The Yoga Co and Start Station? How do you differentiate the visions for both studios? 

The vision for Start Station has now evolved to helping individuals reach their Calisthenics goals progressively - moves like the push-up, pull-up, muscle-up, front and back lever, planche, iron cross, handstand - no matter where they are in their fitness journey.

The vision for The Yoga Collective on the other hand is to highlight how other fitness modalities like Calisthenics, Yogasthenics, Barre, and HIIT can strengthen the yoga practice and take your fitness progress to the next level. Having Start Station and The Yoga Collective as sister studios make sense because of how similar and complementary Calisthenics and Yoga are.

How has ClassPass help grow both, The Yoga Co and Start Station? 

ClassPass has helped us reach out to so many of our current regular members - ranging from beginners who have never tried Calisthenics or Yoga before to more advanced practitioners. Some of our ClassPass regulars who started out with us not being able to do a single push-up or pull-up have now progressed so far from where they were a year ago and we are so proud of them! We even had to increase the intensity of our classes and introduce more advanced classes since our students are now so strong!

Calisthenics is a relatively new activity in Singapore, how did you start practicing it calisthenics? 

I actually started my Calisthenics journey after we established Start Station. Initially, I was intimidated to join in the group classes because I had never worked out before but I was so inspired my our members that I started joining in the group classes, training with our members and progressing along with them.

For Haaziq, he started Calisthenics very ghetto-style. He thought of ways of replicating a gym movement using only his bodyweight and things he could find around like benches, railings, high beams, steps etc. His Calisthenics practice progressed to be more gymnastics-style with more emphasis on strict form and technique. Shortly after, he started practicing yoga, which influenced how he now practices and teaches Calisthenics.

What advice would you give to someone trying calisthenics for the first time? 

The first time will always be the hardest so don't beat yourself up if you can't do all the moves. There are always easier variations for you to progress through till you build enough strength and flexibility for the expression of the final move. I started not even being able to hang on the bar, hold a plank or do a push-up with my knees down. But it is so amazing how consistent practice and an effective training program can help you progress far.