Ninie Ahmad: Off her yoga mat.

PRESS RELEASE 2011

KUALA LUMPUR – Ninie Ahmad is easily Malaysia’s celebrity yoga instructor. She has graced a number of magazine covers, endless magazine pages as yoga personality / fitness model and also no stranger to Malaysian TV as she has been featured as special guest in most local talk shows.

In 2010, Ninie was ranked Top 5 Female Bloggers in Malaysia (by Nuffnang) with over 15,000 readers a week reading her daily affirmations at http://ninieahmad.com.

Just like everyone else, Ninie was ‘dragged’ to her very first yoga class in 1999. She was a record-holder athlete and hockey player for her boarding school (Sekolah Tun Fatimah, Johor Bahru) and university (Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Bangi) but with chronic asthma problem that prevented her from participating in long-training / tournaments.

After only 6 months of attending yoga classes religiously, her respiratory problem disappeared. She also found that the new flexibility plus patience she gained from yoga helped her ‘outperform’ and focus better in her sports training. That was when she decided to ‘join the cult’ and teach yoga to share the wonderful gift of stretching one’s limit to others.

At only 29 years old, Ninie has been in the yoga industry in Malaysia for 12 years and has been teaching yoga in Kuala Lumpur for almost 10 years. Ninie has also published two yoga magazines under her belt of which, her self-published magazine ‘Hati Yoga‘ (2006) was Malaysia’s very first yoga magazine. She has been under the tutelage of world’s most renowned yoga masters namely Sri Dharma Mittra, Danny Paradise, Max Strom, Simon Borg-Olivier, John Scott, Lance Schuler and Hollywood celebrity yoga teacher – Rainbeau Mars.

During Bali Spirit Festival 2010, Ninie was among the celebrated Head Workshop Presenters for Yoga during  alongside Shiva Rea, Duncan Wong, Twee Merrigan and Eion Finn.

Heavily influenced by Ashtanga practice and Vinyasa rhythm of teaching and also certified in teaching Hot Yoga and Pilates, Ninie is often described as the small, hip and not-your-typical-saffron-wearing yoga teacher. Her small figure executing ‘Impossible Is Nothing’ arms-balancing and her very public journey of sharing her love for yoga have been an inspiration to health and fitness enthusiasts in Asia.

Ninie believes that – staying optimistic, appreciating given breaths, honouring one’s limits and being kind to others; are more YOGA than the complicated poses (asanas), most of the time.

Her big personality, long list of credentials and more than a decade experience in yoga have landed her the title of Official Yoga Ambassador for adidas Malaysia from year 2006 until 2010.

In May 2009, Ninie launched her very own yoga sanctuary, BE Yoga located in the heart of Damansara Perdana,  Petaling Jaya for yoga practitioners to begin or resume their practice with Malaysia’s best yoga teachers in Ninie’s chosen industrial-minimalist ambience & eco-friendly environment.

In April 2010, Ninie left BE Yoga for her personal journey to see the world. In June 2010, Ninie announced that she will be taking a year off media appearance and from teaching yoga for public in Kuala Lumpur. Through her blog, she expressed her frustration on the unfair treatments and judgments she has been getting from Malaysian media and religious council although yoga ban is lawfully unenforced in Malaysia.

In 2011, Ninie joins the MANDUKA ambassadors list for their Who’s on the Mat™ program.

In July 2011, Ninie resumes her teaching journey in Malaysia by founding Upward at Saujana Resort, Subang inspired by her favourite yoga studios in New York City.

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Ninie Ahmad in the media (2009 – 2010):

Daily Chili: ‘Nimble Ninie‘

Free Malaysia Today: ‘Astro pulls the plug on Muslim Yoga guru‘

The Sun: ‘Breakfast Like A Queen‘

KLue: ‘My Klang Valley‘

Harper’s BAZAAR: ‘Perfect Poise‘

TATLER: ‘Style In Motion

The Star Property: ‘Find Serenity at BE Yoga‘

SHAPE: ‘Being The Best She Can Be‘

MSN Life & Style: ‘Getting To Know Ninie Ahmad‘