Hi, I’m Yan!

Yoga is universal and everyone deserves untouchable happiness no matter where you are from or what is your starting point. I’m not here to add more to your life, but instead to provide you the tools to discover yourself  and in the process bring joy and value to every life experience with some fun. Using Ashtanga Yoga as a tool for self reflection, we observe the soul play in its union through all the life experiences it passes through. My mission is to ignite our spiritual intelligence and set ourselves free.

I am here to let you know that you already have access to everything you need to find purpose and meaning though your journey right at this moment, to spark your fire and make as many people as possible smile through it all.

Click here for my life & yoga journey that led me to you.

I always had a curious mind, an experimental disposition and like all naughty children and rebellious teens, spent most of my younger years up to no good pursuing this curiosity and experimental nature. I don’t regret a moment of it. ;)

Testing at the top 2% of worlds IQ at 16 and joining the Mensa Society, sparked an interest to discover the purpose of intellect. I sought out to gain knowledge through university degrees in science graduating with honours in Biotechnology from the world's 5th ranked university, and then in attempt to balance both left and right brain function, decided to take a second university course in the arts. 

Solving problems and creating ideas was fun, but there was still something lacking that corporate life was not fulfilling. 6 years of working in business and I was over it, there had to be more to life. Being sick of feeling lost, purposeless and directionless I took what was left of my savings after the days of hard work followed by champagne-filled nights and left everyone and everything I knew to hit the road. 2 years passed backpacking alone, I bussed all of South America from Brazil to the Galapagos and finished on the border of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda staring down a Mountain Gorilla. Had lengthy conversations with everyone that crossed my path and participated in every possible experience that opportunity threw my way. 

I couldn’t return to the bland city life after that, nor surround myself with the superficial, I lost interest in meaningless interaction. My travels finished, but my life just started.  

The thirst to learn never died, I plonked myself in Bali, got certified to conduct various energy and body work whilst renewing my Ashtanga Yoga practice. Ultimately, the quest for deeper learning and devotion to be a student led to living in India for intense studies in Ashtanga Yoga and philosophy for half a decade.

I couldn’t return to the bland city life after that, nor surround myself with the superficial, I lost interest in meaningless interaction. My travels finished, but my life just started.  

My life journey has no doubt been a whirlwind of exciting explosions, it felt like 400 lifetime's worth of experience compressed into 40+ years of breathing. In the process I had made decisions that lost close to everything I had in the bank… twice, been intoxicated in more cities than I can remember, met people of all backgrounds from incarcerated international drug lords to the world's biggest yoga gurus. Life was intriguing and the people in it were simply fascinating. There was so much to learn by just observing the things happening in and around us. However in all honesty awakening was nothing of the sort and did not involve a flash of lightning. After-all, my mother did get struck by lightning and ended up in ICU for 6 months before I was born, so I wouldn’t wish for that for any of us. 

When I’m not teaching or maintaining my lifelong practice & study of movement and self-growth, I fill my cup by travelling to new destinations, writing and snuggling with my son, husband & dog …. with a good hot chocolate.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed I brought home a book and tried to teach myself the sequence of Ashtanga Yoga on my bedroom floor for a couple of years back in 2001 before attending my 1st class, which eventually got cancelled anyway after being only 2 students sporadically for a couple years. 4 years of non-committal dabbling ended up nowhere so I fell off the yoga wagon. 

However, in 2008 everything fell into place and the Ashtanga Yoga came back strong and stayed for good. It became my life. In 2010 I found my teacher, Paramagruru Sharath Jois and moved to Mysore, India living there for 4 years, practicing under his guidance and privately studying sacred texts constituting the Upanishads and Yoga Sutras with renowned philosophy expert Professor Najarajao Rao. Over a decade later I still return for several months a year to do the same. 

In 2012 I was authorised by Paramaguru Sharath Jois to teach Ashtanga Yoga and was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel and teach across the globe in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines & more. I’m blessed to be Malaysia’s first Level 2 qualified Ashtanga Yoga teacher.

In the 20 years since I found Ashtanga Yoga, I have learnt to heal my own spinal, ankle and wrist injuries, manage stress and hypothyroidism within my practice allowing for a more thoughtful, accepting and compassionate approach towards asana and its ability to be therapeutic.  

In conjunction with having dealt with both physical and health struggles during my journey, 10 years study of yoga philosophy scripture which the practice is built upon, has given me understanding of the practice from a deeper yet wider perspective.

“Let's lift our heads and come up for air.”

I have been teaching Mysore style yoga full time for the past 8 years and now co-own, with my husband, Malaysia’s first and only Mysore style dedicated shala since 2015 where I teach daily and train selected long term students to become teachers. Being based in one place and able to watch students daily over a sustained period of time, I teach with a long term perspective and goal of longevity in the practice. With almost a decade of teaching experience, I have had the privilege to bring Ashtanga Yoga to blind, paralysed, multiple sclerosis & cancer patients, accident survivors, post heart surgery, amputee, pregnant, elderly, professional athletes & fighters, Hollywood movie stars and fit healthy students of all ages, races & spiritual beliefs. 

I am also largely influenced by non-denominational spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle having spent time with him on retreat and completed his 6 month advance School of Awakening course. 

Back home in Kuala Lumpur I spend my time spreading the path of this 8 Limbed Yoga, teaching daily at my shala and writing spiritual awareness articles and working on my upcoming memoir. I travel to teach around the world at yoga shalas, events, festivals and retreats and have been spreading my message for the past 8 years in 15 countries and counting, across 5 continents, sharing teachings to students around the world using amusing life observations and modern day applications of age-old knowledge to bring enjoyment in the holistic practice of traditional Ashtanga Yoga as a tool for finding purpose to it all. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope one day I get the privilege to know yours too.

With All My Love & Respect,

Yan

Yan Ong has been teaching Ashtanga Yoga full time for the past 12 years, she’s an authorised level 2 Ashtanga Yoga teacher & owner of Mysore Room.  In 2010 she moved to Mysore, India for 4 years to study the Ashtanga practice with Paramaguru Sharath Jois at the Ashtanga Institute & ancient yoga philosophy scripture with Professor N. Rao. She returns annually since then for the past 14 years.

In the past decade she has brought gift of yoga across the globe to over 12 countries spanning 4 continents. She conducts online and in-person classes, philosophy talks, workshops, festival events, owns a shala & hosted a yoga book club & online events for Paramaguru Sharath Jois to support the global community during lockdowns. Yan’s teaching, writing & talks are energised by her wealth of experience & unique perspective, bringing a fun & exciting approach using her everyday life as a mom, wife & woman in her 40s to spark curiosity into ourselves. While the world dives deep to gain knowledge, she reminds us to also take a moment and come up for air to experience life.