Ninie Ahmad: Off her yoga mat.

Her daily AFFIRMATIONS of staying optimistic especially when she's (upside) down.

Archive for the ‘Upward Yoga’ Category

I am a healthy, very informed mother and this is a well-researched baby. I am going to FOLLOW my intuition, HONOUR my able, strong and flexible female body, USE my yoga and birthkeeper’s wisdom, and TRUST that Almighty Above would not give me what I won’t be able to handle.

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Waiting to an angel to cross over our world as my baby,
thought I’d share some photos from my Green + Organic Baby Shower & Blessing Way at Upward two Sundays ago.

Thank you to all important women in my life who were there at my yogi baby’s shower & blessing way.

To those who couldn’t be there or
couldn’t stay in the end for the blessing way prayer and birth visualization,
please keep us in your prayers.

TRUST

“It is not hope I ask from you.
Hope conceals the possibility of failure.
It is not faith, for that too is too ephemeral, too hard to grab hold of and pocket.

I ask yourself to trust with all your might, with your entire body and soul.
Trust that you know all there is to know.
Trust that the wisdom of the Mother is within you.
Trust fully that when the time comes,
you will rise to the occasion.

Nothing is ever given to us that we cannot handle.
God would not have made women go through childbirth without giving us the tools to manage is.
Trust that you are a perfect mother,
trust that your body will perform to its highest potential,
trust that the baby knows her way out.
Trust, simply trust, then let go of all control and relax into the ride of life.

When you truly trust, be loved - worries will melt away, tension will be unknown, and the miracle will come forth joyfully and painlessly.”

~GIUDITTA TORNETTA,
Painless Childbirth (book, 2008)

Written by Ninie

January 27th, 2013 at 8:05 pm

“Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.” ~VIRGINIA DI ORIO

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Yoga is one of the rare workouts that is safe and encouraged to be practiced when you are expecting.

Yoga’s organic properties of energizing, opening and relaxing are known to be more than helpful to endure the nine-months marathon of pregnancy peacefully and to cross the finishing line as natural and enjoyable as possible.

Yoga’s breathing techniques during stages of labour have been proven to overpower expensive epidural and other temporary drugs that come free with permanent side effects.

Depending on your current state of yoga practice (do consult an experienced teacher’s opinion), you might be able to keep attending your favourite yoga class. Otherwise, Prenatal Yoga is recommended for expecting mothers (with or without yoga background).

Last Saturday,
I held an F.O.C Prenatal Yoga class at Upward for photography purpose and everyone showed up in bright colourful yoga attire!

Sharing the outcome and the pregnancy + birth affirmations I always share in my classes.

“I take good care of my body so I can take better care of my baby.” ~NINIE AHMAD

“I am a warrior woman.
It is a woman’s right to be able to experience a beautiful and colourful pregnancy,
it is my right to have a calm and cruelty-free delivery.”
~NINIE AHMAD

“Nature has been working with you from the very beginning of your pregnancy to prepare your body for this great wonder. You will come to understand that when your mind is free of fear and tension, your body can be free of pain and will function as it was created to do.” ~MARIE F. MONGAN

“Yoga helps me build a strong body, a flexible mind and a soft heart.” ~NINIE AHMAD

“My husband and I made love and conceived our baby naturally.
Nature will find its way to make us birth our fruit of love naturally.”
~NINIE AHMAD

“Because I allow myself to sit still to connect with my baby,
my baby will let me know how she / he wants to be born.”
~NINIE AHMAD

“Yoga helps me discover what feels good and how I can move my body intuitively so my work in yoga when I am pregnant will help me feel good and move my body intuitively when I am in labour.” ~NINIE AHMAD

“I created my healthy and happy beginning so I can design my own peaceful and beautiful ending.” ~NINIE AHMAD

I expand my range of motion to expand the capacity in my womb to house my baby. I expand my breath to expand the capacity in my heart to love unconditionally. ~NINIE AHMAD

For more photos during our session and pregnancy + birth affirmations,
check out the full album at Upward’s FB Page.

(All photos are copyright of Upward,
usage of birth affirmations must credit the stated owner,
usage of photos must credit Gianinna Salas Aerny)

Prenatal Yoga at Upward is every Saturday 4pm,
for all trimesters and husbands / birth partners are welcome to join our practice F.O.C.
Each class lasts for 90 minutes, fee is RM50 and with complimentary organic ginger tea and usage of Manduka mat towel, bolsters, mats and blocks.

NO RESERVATION OR PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED,
simply arrive at least 10 minutes before classtime.
For more details and direction to Upward, visit http://upwardyoga.com/

“I don’t force people to do yoga. If you are ready to deserve the benefits of yoga, you will find yourself doing yoga.” ~NINIE AHMAD

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In the blink of an eye, my first baby just turned 1.

My gratitude and blessing to all friends of Upward,
everyone who has dropped by at Upward,
everyone who has taken classes at Upward,
those who keep coming and blow me away with their beautiful presence and practice at Upward,
I am blessed.

For better viewing, view at 720HD quality.
Shot and edited by Uzair Sawal.
I was actually 3-weeks pregnant :shock: when we shot this video.

Have a blessed and productive Ramadhan to all Muslims
and happy anniversary Upward.

Written by Ninie

July 24th, 2012 at 8:09 am

My body is beautiful, strong and healthy to carry, to house and to give birth to my beautiful, strong and healthy baby.

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In March early this year,
I conducted a Yoga For Fertility & Pregnancy Workshop at Upward and
maybe it was the race of having dragon babies in Malaysia, the workshop was sold out within a week.

In my first Prenatal Yoga class at Upward yesterday after a month long of pre-summer break,
I almost passed out in happiness when I found that ALL trying / aspiring mothers in the workshop ARE NOW PREGNANT!

They are all in this photo!

I don’t know if it was the workshop, or
some yoga techniques and affirmations I was sharing, OR..
they have been showing yoga poses in front of their husbands 8) but,
we are ALL pregnant with little yogis in our bellies now!

Our next Yoga For Fertility Workshop will be around third week of October,
drop us a line at [email protected] so we can keep you posted.

Love and make love!
Take up yoga, not drugs (epidural IS a drug)!

When we are ready to accept the possibilities of greatness within us, the light of yoga and the right teacher shall appear.

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My heart bloomed and showered happy tears as I received and read these messages today.
(I presume the beautiful souls that sent me these don’t mind me sharing it here for the intent to inspire)

From Shahirah Nabila via Upward FB message

Kak Ninie, I’ve been following your blog quite sometime and I think you are one great person.

I am a 3rd year medical student from Bangalore, and been trying my very best to lose some extra pounds I gained 3 years back when I came to India. I went to gym, lifting weights and everything but nothing works.

So, I sat down in front of my lappy one fine day and googled yoga until I stumbled at your page which changes everything. I learn to look at life differently and better I must say, the energy and the way you put things out makes me realized that there’s nothing impossible for the willing mind.

I admire your positiveness towards life. I’ve been practicing yoga in my room and see the changes yoga did to my body. Yoga butt, yoga curves are damn priceless. And thanks for that. I’ve one small goal which I don’t know when will I crash it, it’s the Headstand, any tips?

From Nini via ninieahmad.com

I had been reading your blog since 2005 and it attracted me to yoga. Been practicing it since 2006 in Yoga Zone til 2008 when it closed down. Back then, I only did what the instructor showed and never bother to do more.

I started picking it up at Upward Yoga last year and this time it feels much better than ever.

Unfortunately, I was down with depression on February and since the medicine was not helping much, I decided to take a break from everything. Each time before starting Intro To Ashtanga class, you always remind us that we can do it ourselves at the comfort of our own places. And remember the notebook you gave me for my birthday? You wrote “Practice, and all is coming”.

So I did my own practice, learning from your YouTube videos and guess what? I can do headstand without any help now, and hold for 2 minutes! Previously I used to lean against the wall but I remember that you told me that you believe I can do it myself so 1 day, I finally did it! And I thought it would be more than 6 months before I could really do it.

I am aiming for Scorpion pose now, currently doing it wall-assisted. Still depending on anti-depressant medicine now but I am decreasing the dose and hopefully I could stop taking it by end of this month. Yoga helps, A LOT. I am getting addicted to headstand, it bring some kind of rush to my head, which is much better than the medicine.

Bottom line, I am glad that I decided to be your student and I don’t know where I would end up now without your encouraging notes, trust and guides. I will be back soon, hopefully around July.

On (really rare and long) days I ask myself,

  • why am I waking up at 4am every morning to do my practice before I teach my 7am classes,
  • why am I teaching almost 15 classes a week,
  • why am I still teaching yoga,
  • these kind words of appreciation remind me over and over again that,
    IT IS BECAUSE - yoga changes lives and yoga heals. Everything.

I am sharing these letters NOT BECAUSE I need you to believe that it was me that ‘changed’ their lives BUT BECAUSE I want all of you to know that it is your own effort in taking that first step to making that change in your life. It could be to a change of mindset that ‘Impossible Is Only An Opinion‘ and to actually start incorporating yoga practice into your lifestyle to help you eventually  achieve your ideal body weight and be happy.

Forcing people to take up yoga is not my style because

unlike other form of sports and workout - attending one yoga class takes more than committing to a lifetime membership at your gym. We will only receive the most benefits of yoga only when we allow ourselves to post-mortem what’s wrong with our behaviour and in our life when all we are allowed to do is to keep breathing and to stop fidgeting. Most people don’t like to be told that they should drink more water, they should eat cleaner and they can’t take it when they are being told that they need to appreciate silence, to sit still more often and to experience Dead Body to appreciate being alive.

Sobbing in tears after being awakened from Dead Body
happens (pretty often..) in the end of a yoga class

Forcing already-been-doing-yoga people to take up Ashtanga is not in my capacity because

not only I am not an authorized Ashtanga teacher, Ashtanga is definitely not for the weak-hearted. Although Guruji did say that “anybody can do Ashtanga” but he also said that “..except lazy people”. Most people would give up the idea Ashtanga before even trying as the sound of ‘having to practice yoga Ashtanga five to six days a week before they start their day FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE’ is too ridiculous.

I am definitely NOT the best teacher for you to learn yoga from and
Upward may not be the most accessible practice space for you to practice at.

But I am a pretty nice person and there is no contract, no reservation, no registration fee, no annoying salesperson to force you to sign-up membership anything at Upward. Only bottomless energy to share the healing benefits to others will welcome you at Upward.

Classes especially Ashtanga classes I conduct at Upward are yoga in layman’s term and I teach like how I want to be taught. I want to be inspired, not to be intimidated. I want my teachers to be in form of normal human being in colourful clothes with a mug of coffee (and maybe a little make-up) instead of an untouchable flawless sacred being in white or orange outfit all the time.

My everyday prayer

When you are ready to ‘accept the possibilities of greatness within you‘,
the light of yoga and the right teacher for you shall appear.

My gratitude and blessings to Shahirah & Nini, you made my Monday more than my words can say. Don’t worry so much about the Headstand & Scorpion, you are already able as you are. You WILL find yourself on your head and on your forearms when you are ready and when you earn it ;)

Written by Ninie

May 14th, 2012 at 10:57 pm

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