from day one, karma yoga studio is built upon the concept of living consciously.
the choice of colors – black and white with an accent of earth and greens represents humankind in the midst of brick and mortar. our space is nothing without the komuniti and the people that come together for a living purpose.
the materials we use in the studio – no plastics and plenty of glass and warm wood were intentional. the glass you see overall represents our transparency in keeping you updated from time to time on our core beliefs and values. wood represents our humble rooted beginnings. metal and aluminum in our fittings and most hardware represent our strong and sturdy foundation. the fabric and colors we use in our fabrics represent our grace and softness in approach. and what keeps us lively – the living breathing plants in the studio which represent growth and our understanding of life itself. sometimes they(our greens) die and it’s just a passage of life. 🙂
the above is just to give you a glimpse and idea of how we set up, but let’s go a lil’ deeper.
we want to take this time to share with you our living ethos and hope that the next time you step in, whether to practice or to buy some swag, you have all this information at the back of your head, that will help you take some proactive action to live intelligently, together with us.
let’s start with doing good, everyday.
some of us may be confused that doing good is all about charity and monetary values but our doing good has a far bigger vision than that. we will leave that for another day.
for now, we will only talk about one of the pillars-
doing good for mother earth.
living consciously, to us, is intelligent living. it is taking care of where we come from, and where we belong, our mother earth. this humble abode does not belong to us, and hence, nothing truly belongs to us and for us to take – the air, the resources – water, energy, greens, and more.
let’s ask ourselves. instead of taking; what are we giving back (or taking less of)?
giving back what we take.
in this modern age and living, living with less is a big ask. in fact, it can be really hard when everyone around us is striving for more, consuming more, and doing more and more.
at karma yoga, we ask that we all take a step back and live with less.
what can we take less? do less, and live with less?
energy source
consuming less means being proactive with what we can conserve.
students and karma yoga action points:-
1/ turning off electricity when not in use or when not required. our studio is blessed with bright natural light and hence, energy consumption is highly possible by turning off all switches that are not in use whenever possible.
we ask all students to be proactive to turn off the switches in the washroom foyer, changing room, and practice room lights when not in use.
2/ minimize high electricity usage by using fans rather than the air conditioner – a/c usage in-studio is to air and clear our practice room in between classes and is not meant to be used during practice except for yin classes.
3/ use natural energy where possible – keeping windows open, and taking the long out-breath replenishing co2 and fresh air through the greens we have in the studio. please be mindful of the greens in the studio – do not (accidentally) hit/crush them with your bags/ yoga mats/ body. they need space too.
4/ walking and/or riding to the studio. the 3 flights of stairs up – that’s better than 2 rounds of sun salutation. breathe in to step up, breathe out to step down. in the next couple of weeks; you will see bicycle holders installed outside our studio – park your ride alongside the stairs and get some stretches in class.
5/ we highly encourage car-pooling where possible – whether it is to the studio or to our komuniti events/retreats. carpooling is the best way to reduce carbon emissions and guess what -bonds us as a komuniti together. car-oke is also a plus point.
waste & recycling
minimizing waste starts with less consumption, and less taking. if we were to take, take only what we truly need, and consciously recycle or upcycle what we can.
students and karma yoga action points:-
1/ take/use only what you need – specifically toilet paper, toiletries, napkins to wipe your hand, and cleansers.
2/ when using wet wipes/sanitizers in our practice room, they’re meant for you to sanitize and clean your own mat and props after use – not for you to wipe your feet, clean your phone, and/ or wipe your laptop.
2/ none/less plastic usage within the studio – we do not line our trash cans to minimize plastic bag use and recycle where possible.
3/ return your kombucha bottles to the studio as we recycle them too.
4/ when purchasing coffee in the studio – feel free to ask for a cup without the lid. better still, bring your own cup / purchase our kopi kup so that we reduce producing more waste.
5/ bring your own stuff – yoga mat, towels for shower or practice use, bottles for drinking water. keep your belongings in the locker so that we can have a clutter-free environment. less is always more.
conserving water
using less water can be a challenge when we are not mindful. but it is highly possible when we act together.
students and karma yoga action points:-
1/ turn the water tap not to the fullest when washing your hands.
2/ limit your shower time to a minimum.
3/ do not wash your feet in the washroom.
4/ we use a spray mop to wipe the floor which saves excess water usage.
support each other, support lokal.
komuniti over kompetition for us is all about supporting others and/or each other. and that goes for all of us collectively.
students and karma yoga action points:-
1/ kyyk sells merchandise (swag) through lokal businesses- they’re either sourced, made or custom-made locally through supporting another lokal business – which in turn, supports karma yoga operating costs. this is to say – when purchasing kyyk swags, you are supporting a long list of lokal businesses in klang valley.
2/ all karma yoga no-show/late cancellation penalties and mat/towel rental charges go to support another lokal nonprofit organization and or charity of our choice; one that helps our core values of living. we believe in helping a maximum number of people/things/businesses rather than just one.
3/ kolaboration with lokal close proximity businesses. we grow when others grow. flashing your kyyk kard at our partner shops is not just about discounts and paying less (which is great) – but ultimately; supporting lokal here means helping the lokal businesses in our area and spaces thrive together. at karma yoga; we consciously choose to work with partners that support and practice the same values or craftsmanship, artisanal and bespoke creatives, skilled fair-paid labor, and excellence in quality, values, and service.
4/ support lokal businesses that practice sustainable living, and if that’s too much, just support local businesses, ones that try to be sustainable through their living space/ core philosophies.
5 / when purchasing in-studio swags – go cashless; and, no bags. we reuse any paper bags that we get from our lokal delivery riders so if you ask for bags – you will get those.
6/ gift lokally – when choosing a gift – whether for birthdays, in kind, or just because… choose to gift lokally. better still – gift practically. ensure that what you are gifting will be of use to the other party.
7/ support each other. as a komuniti, we want to be better together. the next time you see someone lost, unsure, or in need of help in-studio, do not hesitate to help. (we are also extremely thankful for students who help upkeep our spaces clean by volunteering to help vacuum, mop, wash the toilet, and clear trash in our space from time to time)
intelligent living is a conscious komuniti responsibility.
we hope that these practices can live even in your own homes as sustainable living can bring about more impact when practiced daily wherever you are.
karma yoga studio is fully committed to a mega-low environmental impact space by adopting intelligent living as our living ethos. with that in mind, our space and classes aim to educate our students to be mindful of our daily actions to support intelligent living through sustainability practices. this includes but is not limited to reducing our overall electricity consumption, reducing wastage and recycling, reducing our plastic usage in the studio as much as we can, saving overall water usage, encouraging walking and riding to the studio, and most importantly, support other local businesses through lokal komuniti kolaborations with partnerships and komuniti events that can help us spread our messages across.
through our yoga classes, we begin to plant the seeds we want to sow for the earth and our future generations, ensuring our yogis walk out from each class giving back instead of taking from the planet.
with that, we do good not just to everyone, but most importantly to our mother earth.
we ask that you walk along this path with us to do good together.