Ninie Ahmad: Off her yoga mat.

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

Archive for the ‘Ninie Ahmad’ tag

“I’m short but I’m healthy, yeahhh!”

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10 things you might not know about me..

  1. For generation Lady Gaga, I still if not only listen to mellow rock music from 1996 to 2002. Lotsa Radiohead pre-Kid A, Silverchair, Alanis, Bush, Third Eye Blind, Travis, Lifehouse..
  2. For fun, I actually play a lot of a little bit of guitar.
  3. For a new-age housewife, I actually cook EVERY lunch and dinner for my husband on weekdays. How else can I make sure the food that is going to be our flesh and blood is prepared using organic if not the freshest of ingredients, made with love and cruelty-free?
  4. For English as my second language, I kickass at Scrabble. Okkk, I actually memorize all two-letter words and errr, most pages of Official Scrabble Dictionary.
  5. For a small girl, I drive a pretty mean machine.
  6. For an Asian, I don’t condone whitening anything. My sporty tan is a hit in North America!
  7. For a Malay, I don’t eat any type of meat / poultry. For that matter, I have also long stopped wearing leather handbags / footwear.
  8. For the betterment of my integrity and yoga practice, I don’t endorse and wear three-stripes anymore.
  9. For a tiny person, I am stronger than you can ever imagine. (Although) for a yoga teacher, I am not as flexible as you think I am and I’d like to be.. But I take strength and balance over flexibility any day!
  10. For what it’s worth, I don’t believe in (going to the) doctors. Our body is built to heal ourselves when we reflect, acknowledge and meditate. Everytime. Everyday.

Now, tell me what should I know about you :)

Written by Ninie

May 24th, 2011 at 11:53 am

Interview: ‘Nimble Ninie’

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By NIKI CHEONG, picture by NAPIE MOKSIN

If you’re familiar with the Malaysian blogosphere, you’ve probably heard of Project Alpha, a reality show which aims to uncover the lives of our country’s top bloggers. One of them is Ninie Ahmad.

Pictures by Napie Moksin

When did you start blogging and Twittering?
Blogging in 2004, Twittering in mid-2009.

And what are your Tweets about?
My affirmation for the day, usually my blog post’s title or self-affirmation I think funny like, ‘I shall blog today.’

That’s funny. Do you also ReTweet funny stuff? What are your favourite kinds of Tweets to RT?
Usually positive affirmations as well from my favorite spiritual guru or yoga teachers.

And where do you Tweet from most often?
Tweetdeck.

Product plug! Okay, how often do you Tweet?
I try at least once in every two days with three Tweets back-to-back to match the Twitter template on my blog.

Let’s get to your blog. What kinds of blog posts do you like writing most?
The ups and downs of my day when I am not teaching yoga (blog name: Ninie Ahmad: Off Her Yoga Mat) in the most creative affimation or the most unimaginable yoga pose!

Have you ever had a blogger fan moment?
Well, I do get readers introduce themselves to me sometimes (if not everyday :P ) but I was mostly surpised when two Malaysian blog readers (husband and wife) appoached me at the lobby of Empire State Building, New York a couple of weeks ago asking me if they can help me snap my photos (as they saw me taking photos at arms length because I went to Empire State Building alone)!

That’s the photo they took & that’s lovely Zetty, my Malaysian reader from UK in NYC!

Camwhoring! You’re a true blogger! :) Okay, which do you prefer, blogging or twittering?
My blog and Twitter depend on one another. Usually my Tweet is a teaser of what I blog about that day.

And let’s get to some tips. What should you never blog about?

Anything bad about anyone/any restaurant/any product. You don’t want to read such thing about yourself written on someone else’s blog, right?

What should you never Tweet about?
Anything bad about anyone else ESPECIALLY if that person’s on Twitter!

I suppose it could start a Twitter war! What is the most controversial Tweet you’ve seen?

How’s this from @ninieahmad: http://bit.ly/9ELpQ8 was shot 2 minutes before my partner & I almost got sent to jail for PDA (Public Display of Acroyoga) in KLCC, M’sia.

Why should I follow you on Twitter?
Because I’d never Tweet anything bad about anyone or anything?

At all?
I really believe in what I say, write or Tweet for that matter, is my affirmation to achieving and receiving my calling.

And why should I read your blog?

Because I am annoyingly optimistic and sickeningly positive about everyone and anyone, for a change (for blogs)!

Finally, describe yourself in 140 characters.
The ‘banned’ yoga instructor who will keep blogging, Twittering & fighting for her yoga even when she’s (upside) down.

Follow Ninie on Twitter at @ninieahmad.

From Daili Chilli

Written by Ninie

August 7th, 2010 at 6:58 pm

Article: ‘Hot Malaysian Yoga Star Banned from TV For F-Word, Fatwa’

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From THE YOGA DORK July 13, 2023

With all these world record yoga events and baited sun breaths waiting for the Eat, Pray, Love merchandising avalanche, have we really forgotten about the Fatwa?

The wha? Hey, watch your language! No, really, at the end of 2008 and early ‘09 we had fatwas flying out from every direction. OK, mostly the east. To be specific, the Muslim regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. Just to bring us all up to speed, a Fatwa is otherwise recognized as a religious edict, a kibosh, or ban on things that are deemed ‘haram’ or harmful.

The Fatwa Councils of both Indonesia and Malaysia made news by slapping one of these fatwas on our beloved yoga, inciting outrage by practicing yogis who also practice Islam. In short, both cases saw retractions on the ban so that asana was eventually permitted so long as the freaky chanting and “mind body connection” remained absent. Turns out Indonesians didn’t care anyway. (Note the Bali Spirit Fest, formerly Yoga Fest, 2010 went off without a hitch).

We’d all but forgotten about the yoga ban in Malaysia until we heard from Ninie.

Ninie Ahmad is as close to a Malaysian yogi rock star as they come, her image gracing oodles of magazine covers, appearances on numerous TV shows and a role as an official Adidas ambassador. So why was her most recent moment in the spotlight cruelly edited in accordance with the F-word?

Via FreeMalaysia:

“(On Sunday, July 4) I was informed that Astro [Malaysian Satellite TV] will not air my episode of Project Alpha that is scheduled tonight because the Quality Control (QC) department said that under Fatwa law, they could not air a Malay person teaching yoga.”

For your reference, ‘Project Alpha’ is a reality show like ‘Top Chef’, but about bloggers! Sadly Ninie was denied her time to shine, because of yoga.

That’s ridic! some of you say. Is it yoga censorship?? But Malaysia isn’t devoid of yoga naysayers. So, fairly miffed and confused, Ninie has taken to twitter to defend herself from detractors in 140 characters or less:

We’re no scholars, but we are pretty sure yoga can be practiced in tandem with most religions, or with none at all. (though, due to the sensitivity of the matter might we suggest in our best publicist tone that Ms. Ninie reconsider her ‘about’ section where she mentions attending yoga “religiously” and her decision to “join the cult”… just sayin’)

Anyway, the physical practice is supposedly allowed, so why was yoga cut from programming? We think Astro at least owes an explanation! Dang it, anyhow. Besides, if the country of Malaysia is going to ban public displays of yoga,  how’re they going to make bank off this EPL-crazed tourism wave?

Stay strong Ninie. One love.

Earlier

  • Fatwa News: Yoga Ban Reversed! Malaysian Muslims Free to Practice Yoga, without Chant
  • Malaysian King Not Cool with Ban; Still Hope for Muslim Yogis?
  • Indonesian Muslims to Yoga Fatwa: Who Cares?
  • Bikram Responds to Fatwa, ‘Yoga has absolutely nothing to do with religion’

.   .   .   .   .   .

Special thanks to Yoga Dork for the mention and online hugs from yogis all across the map.

The universe is working its magic, I can feel it!

Written by Ninie

July 14th, 2010 at 11:13 am

I have a perfect body.

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- or, that’s what I try to keep telling myself everyday :cry:

As much as I feel good about my body and loving (almost) everything I see in the mirror - I have insecurities about my body too, trust me!

While I think I look better without clothes (who else will say that about my body, right :P ?), I can’t help but to feel like giving up TOO whenever I come across this beautiful set of low-key studio photos of LA yoga teacher / arm balancing rockstar  Kathryn Budig by photographer Jasper Johal for Toesox.

Heck I’d pose with nothing but engineered socks too if I looked like THAT!

And so to regain my confidence (you know how it feels like when people say you look so fit but you feel sooooo fat), I checked back my Asana studio photoshoots done with a couple of photographers some time ago posing almost unintendedly similar poses!

1st & 2nd photo by Napie Moksin, top & pants by adidas for Stella McCartney;
3rd photo by Joe Low, top by adiShe & pants by adidas Techfit Powerweb

Ok ok, I take that back.

I forgot that I love my body and what I can do with it but I (like, really) hate my STRETCHMARKS!

Written by Ninie

July 12th, 2010 at 3:23 am

Interview: ‘Breakfast like a queen.’

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From THE SUN, Thursday July 8, 2023

Yoga instructor Ninie Ahmad offers eating tips to stay healthy and trim

by Anansa Jacob

Have you ever given a thought to what it means to have a balanced breakfast? That is, if at all you take time out to have breakfast. Quite a number of people skip breakfast entirely, either because of time constraints, or because they do not think it is important.

For celebrity yoga instructor Ninie Ahmad, the idea of skipping breakfast is a cardinal sin. Although not a trained nutritionist, the vegetarian has read up a lot about nutrition and healthy living, and firmly believes that we are what we eat.

“I read this saying once: ‘Eat breakfast like a king, eat lunch like a prince and eat dinner like a pauper’,” she said. “It means that we should eat the most at the start of the day, (so) we’ll have the energy to work or be active. At night, we should eat less as our bodies will soon be resting.”

Ninie met us for breakfast at the Pappa Rich restaurant at The Gardens, Kuala Lumpur. On the menu was a selection of Pappa Rich favourites, all traditional Malaysian breakfast dishes.

We had Pappa curry laksa special with foo chok, Pappa char kuey teow, Ipoh kuey teow soup with steamed chicken, chicken porridge, otak-otak, roti bakar and roti stim with butter and kaya, half-boiled eggs and Pappa nasi lemak.

“Someone once asked me if it was healthy to eat nasi lemak, because I was seen having it every morning for breakfast,” she said. “To me, it depends on what you have with the nasi lemak. A simple one, with just boiled egg and sambal is actually okay.

“Nasi lemak is okay for me because I know I’m going to be using up all those calories throughout the day.”

She also thinks people should choose their breakfast meals carefully. “For instance, nasi lemak is a healthier choice than roti canai, because of all the bad oil in roti canai. But I sometimes crave for roti canai, so I do eat it occasionally.”

She explained that a craving is a sign that our bodies lack certain nutrients, “but if you have roti canai every morning, then that’s not a craving!”

She also pointed out the various positive aspects of the other dishes in the restaurant’s breakfast menu.

Half-boiled eggs are a good protein boost, as is otak-otak. The little bit of santan in the laksa is balanced out by the vegetables. As for the only ‘risky’ dish, char kuey teow, Ninie emphasised that moderation is the way to go.

“I’m not saying you should cut it out altogether, just that you need to have it rarely, or in small portions.”

Eating moderately spicy food for breakfast is also a good thing. “Spicy food helps raise our metabolic rate, which also contributes to weight loss,” Ninie said.

She also pointed out that Pappa Rich, which is one of her favourite places to have breakfast, also carries a range of vegetarian pau, ideal for vegetarians like her. “It’s also a healthier option for those who want to watch their diets.”

As much as possible, she tries to prepare her meals at home. She usually has organic cereals or pancakes for breakfast as they are easy to prepare.

“I normally make nasi lemak if I have a long Sunday ahead of me,” she added.

At the very least, she makes sure to have a blended fruit juice to get a burst of vitamins and fibre in the morning.

Ninie also stressed that the best breakfast is a simple, homecooked meal with a balanced list of ingredients.

“Everyone should make the effort to not only make sure to have breakfast, but to make it a healthy one.

“After all, it’s better to take care of our health now than later when we get ill from eating unhealthy food.”

Project Alpha Season 2: NINIE AHMAD (Episode 39/49)

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Project Alpha Season 2: NINIE AHMAD (Episode 37/49)

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Project Alpha Season 2: NINIE AHMAD (Episode 36/49)

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