Wellness experience

~Wellness at the Art of Yoga~

My first legitimate wellness experience that I planned and signed up for myself was a session of yoga therapy at the Art of Yoga located at 121 Upper East Coast Road. Never had I ever gone for a facial or a spa and the only thing related to wellness that I had ever gone and experienced was a foot massage package that happened to come with a head and back massage. 

I was on a short vacation with my family that time, so I tagged along when everyone was up for a massage to loosen up the body. It was a good first-time experience which I greatly enjoyed as it helped me loosen up my muscles and allowed me to relax. My experiences or encounters with wellness was very shallow and I was therefore pretty uneducated in that area. 

I have been actively involved in sports through cocurricular activities in school which involved loads of physical trainings, but I have never tried wellness activities like yoga, Zumba, aerobics, Pilates or anything along that line. Wellness is a very ‘big’ word and is made up of seven dimensions. The dimensions are physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, and occupational. Physical wellness, most widely known and practiced, encompasses positive and healthy behaviors like having sufficient exercise, eating foods with proper nutritional values and refraining from harmful habits such as smoking or drinking. 

Belonging under the physical aspect of the ‘Seven Dimensions of wellness’ is yoga, which involves simple meditation, specific bodily postures, many stretches, and is widely known and practiced for relaxation and health purposes. Yoga which focuses on bringing harmony between the body and mind, is believed to have started since the very dawn of civilization, dating back thousands of years ago to as far as 2700 B.C. While yoga is commonly associated with therapy in the form of exercise and health in the minds of many, the goal of yoga is much more far-reaching. It is believed to be about harmonizing and aligning yourself with the universe to achieve the highest level of harmony and perception.

The Art of Yoga has around 20 types of yoga classes to choose from. A single class pass is $30 while passes for multiple classes such as 10, 20, 30 times and unlimited classes passes range from $200-$540. 

Fortunately, they collaborated with the diploma this year to allow students taking the module to try out a 45-minutes yoga class, so I had the benefit to try my first yoga experience for a fee of only $5 net! Different forms of yoga such as Hatha yoga, Om chanting, Yoga therapy, Restorative yoga and Vinyasa Flow were open for us to join. 

I opted for Vinyasa Flow on a Friday at noontime with my other diploma friend, and shortly after, received an email to create an account on the Art of Yoga website in order to confirm my attendance for the class. 

I’m not sure if every yoga or wellness establishment requires an account or booking online but this required action made me feel like the Art of Yoga is a really ‘legitimate’ place with high standards and quality instead of just some random place that gives yoga lessons to earn an extra set of income. 

The need of having to create an account led me online to their website which was very professionally done and put together.

Currently, Art of Yoga has:

- 25 teachers

- Provides many types of yoga classes

- Well-kept studios

- Cafe/ cozy relaxation area

It left me with this impression that the Art of Yoga is a well-maintained, expensive and fanciful place. 

We ended up switching our class to yoga therapy at 4 pm on a friday because we weren’t able to make it at noontime for Vinyasa Flow. We took a cab there and was 5 minutes late for the class which had already started. A female staff behind the counter told us to put our bags in the locker provided and to switch our phones to silent if we were to bring it in. We were shortly ushered into the room quietly where we quickly joined in with the rest of the class- 4 other people. 

It was a small studio which can cater only to small classes and the room can hold up to a maximum of 9 or 10 people. We settled in to simple breathing, meditation and posture first, before diving into stretches and a tiny portion on core. The teacher for the class was Ms. Pamela Tan, and she explained the benefits for each of the exercises taught in class. There was knowledge gained from the class besides exposure and it was very insightful. 

It was during the class that I learnt about the importance of meditating and breathing. It is strange that such a simple exercise that can be done anywhere can actually be so useful for me spiritually and mentally because it gave me a sense of peace and ease that I haven’t felt in a long time amidst my busy schedule. It sorts of pulled me back down to earth, helped me open my eyes to slow down, see, and appreciate what is around me instead of just rushing for datelines and chasing after things. 

  

~Art of Yoga - Operation~

From what I had observed, the operations was smooth and effective. The class started on the dot even if there were others who had not arrived yet. My friend and I were 5 minutes late for the class and the class had already proceeded without us. Instructions were clearly given to us about keeping our voices hushed and switching our phones to silent and the staff even told us we could make payment afterwards just for us to be able to join the class quickly. When we entered the studio, the teacher, Ms. Pamela, greeted us and yoga mats were already laid out and prepared for us. There was no hassle even though we were late and all we had to do was to get to a mat and join in with the rest on some breathing exercises. 

The whole yoga session was great. Even though it was a yoga therapy class, I took away much more from the class than just some pose and stretches. Ms. Pamela was so well-equipped and familiar in her job scope that while she was demonstrating the poses to us, she was also able to explain each pose and its purpose effortlessly while keeping tabs on us, watching whether we are doing the poses right or how we can do it more accurately. She encouraged us even if some poses were hard to attain and we looked hilarious trying to get it right, and empowered us with knowledge about yoga that has raised my awareness.

Spray bottles filled with lemongrass water was passed around for us to spray the yoga mats and then cleaned with a cloth before we had to roll it up and put it back on the racks. When we left the class, another group was already sitting outside and waiting for their turn to go in. The other studio room which was larger than the one I had been in, already had a class going on, so the operations were efficient too because it is quite utilized.

After the class, we sat around in the relaxation room which was also what the Art of Yoga referred to as their café. It looked like a newly renovated kitchen, with a table and cushions for sitting, and free teas and refreshments that we could help ourselves to on the kitchen counter.

There are also other refreshments that could be purchased just by placing the cash and taking the change on our own. 

The café and sitting area were beautifully decorated, with decals on the walls and items lined up on shelves for purchase. The entire place including the two studios that they have were very clean, and even the bathroom was spotless.

~Sales & Marketing~

For sales and marketing wise, Art of Yoga offers a trial class for just $10 instead of $30 for a single class pass. This is an effort to get new people to try and take up yoga. Besides this discount, the company had also created passes at special prices to attract more yoga enthusiasts. 

Besides these, Art of Yoga also welcomes corporate companies by having corporate class passes for studio group classes to draw the larger crowds. In addition, the company also does collaborations with schools like the collaboration it had with my diploma in order to spread awareness, raise its brand name, and increase visitorship to the establishment.

In addition, artisanal and handmade products such as bracelets, yoga rugs, mats, towels, soap, howlite pyramids and tote bags are being sold. 

These items where most of them have the Art of Yoga logo on them, works as a marketing strategy whereby people who buys them are indirectly helping the company advertise and raise awareness of its existence and products. 

~Programming~

Overall, the Art of Yoga has good programming. There is a smooth flow of classes daily and a high utilization of its studio rooms, space, and teachers. 

However, out of the two studios that they have, studio 1 has a much higher usage compared to studio 2. Studio 2 is empty for almost the whole afternoon on the weekdays and there could definitely be better use of the space. 

The Art of Yoga had limited slots available for us students in this diploma, so I had to confirm my interest through an excel spreadsheet done up by the school lecturers before creating an account on Art of Yoga’s official website to make the booking. 

For the change in my yoga slot, I had to send an email to request for a change in time slot and I got the reply within two hours which wasmore effective than I had expected. The reply came with other available slots that I could choose from, and after choosing, all I had to do was reply and let the admin know my preferred time slot and it was done. The process was simple and easy. 

~Customer Service~

I feel that service at the Art Yoga was very mindful. My friend and I were supposed to go for Vinyasa Flow at noon but we were not able to make it so we tried to reschedule for another slot and the Art of Yoga actually allowed the change despite the fact that each class is kept small in order for the teacher to provide adequate assistance and attention to every student in the class.

Besides, I was late for class that day but instead of asking me to pay for the class which was what is normally done first, the staff told me to make payment later so that I would not miss out on the class. 

The service was so extensive that we could help ourselves to teas and light refreshments for free after the class in a comfortable, beautifully decorated and clean environment without feeling that we have to leave right after class. These extra miles of service that the Art of Yoga provides really makes a difference in the overall product.

~Recommendation~

I feel that there could be soft background music during the yoga lessons. I personally feel that music can help to relax the mind more and facilitate the lessons better on mindfulness as well as provide a more tranquil atmosphere.

Also, the studios could be more utilized and better made use of. Some ideas of activities to hold in the studio during hours of vacancy would be to hold yoga workshops, programs or even wellness talks. These activities might not necessarily have to be held to generate revenue. For regular Art of Yoga patrons, they can either join the activity before or after their yoga class as an extra bonus activity. If they ask their friends and family to join the activity for learning or exposure purposes, the activities can work as a promotional effort whereby educating these people can generate or raise their interest in wellness, leading them to join and purchase yoga class passes on the spot. 

~One wellness trend that will impact the change in lifestyle trends on spa & wellness industry in Singapore~

One wellness trend would be ‘A New Era of Transformative Wellness Travel’. This wellness trend involves storylines that would transform and cast the traveler in an immersive journey, taking them to a more emotional level without losing any bit of the authentic experience. It would allow individuals to self-reflect, go on an intensive journey taking them past culture, adventure, challenges and even fear. This transformation of wellness travel has evolved from just travelling to a destination and staying there for wellness, to having multi-property wellness circuits that would help travelers gain a soul-searching and transformative journey. They would have to travel on short journeys to different destinations, each for a different experience, out of the usual comfort zone with challenges to face as well as imagination and fear in play. 

For example, a few travelers can set off early in the morning during sunrise for a hike through the forest and rice fields, stopping at a traditional village to get exposed to the local culture and crafts, learning some hands-on skills in the process. Afterwards, they can have a hearty meal overseeing the cool blue waters before continuing on their journey to a cliffside resort where they can have a swim at the private beach, coupled with their choice of spa therapy. At sunset, the group would head back in an open-air vehicle overseeing the view of the greenery and appreciate the beauty of nature.

The demand of transformative wellness travel has been so strong partly because of its product as a whole. Travelers would always prefer a whole itinerary that takes them on an adventure rather than one that is scattered, leaving people with a feeling of “what now?” after the treatment or class. 

Most wellness activities in Singapore are treatments or classes that last only for a few hours at most. It has catered to the locals fairly well due to people’s busy schedules and limited time for wellness. This new wellness trend would most likely lead to a change in this area whereby transformative wellness travel will flourish among the younger people who are interested to empower, challenge, and discover new areas of themselves. The availability of such an interesting type of wellness might lead to many Singaporeans saving up on local spas to go abroad to experience this transformative wellness travel instead especially since this form of wellness would not be found within the country which is so small and lacking in natural areas like the rainforest, mountains and more. Lifestyle trends would not just be about high-quality treatments that are obtainable in day spas or health centres anymore. It would be deeper than that, involving the exploration of the mind and body, reaching a higher level of self-awareness and feeling deeply refreshed after a soul-searching journey through the vast beautiful nature. This new form of wellness trend would likely cause the spa & wellness industry in Singapore to lose out because there are barely any natural landscapes to even try and duplicate a wellness product as close to one that people can get overseas because of the natural resources available abroad. 

References

 Seven Dimensions of Wellness. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2018, from https://www.grcc.edu/humanresources/wellness/sevendimensionsofwellness

MEA | Statements : In Focus Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2018, from https://www.mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?25096/Yoga Its Origin History and Development

MEA | Statements : In Focus Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?25096/Yoga Its Origin History and Development