OurBodySpace, the Home of Airo Yoga
Author: Natalie Basch
OurBodySpace, nestled in the heart of KL City Centre, has been Airo’s home and base for the last 9 months. To me, OBS means family. And this was the intention, along with creating a community space, when Elizabeth Buri and Zarul Albarki opened the studio 3 years ago.
Elizabeth, originally from Sarawak in Borneo comes from a Pilates background. Liz was the face of the Pilates movement a few years ago, appearing on TV shows, teaching 100pax classes, as well as having her face plastered on a massive billboard. The memory of the billboard makes Liz cringe but we obviously think its great! Since her celebrity Pilates days, Liz has moved towards ”Core Fascia Release” work, which focuses on releasing stored emotional stress in the muscles and tissue in the body. Zarul Albrki also has a very interesting background. Coming from one of the oldest families in KL, Zarul was born with polio, which brought him to Liz later on in life, after hearing about her magic hands. They created a special bond, became good friends and eventually became the “mom and dad” of OBS.
It is important to be able to be supported by people and an environment that inspires you and motivates you to develop your vision into a reality. OBS has been that platform for me to allow Airo Yoga to come to life in its practical form. It is so much more than a studio. It has so much heart and life, it is a home.
Ensuring that they only have the best of the best teachers offering an array of classes, from Vinyasa, Pilates, Qi Gong, sound healing, meditation, Airo yoga and even weekly art classes, it is no wonder that OBS has a solid customer base that is growing at a fast pace. The classes are small, often meaning everyone knows each other on a first name basis, which really fosters their philosophy of creating a community and a feeling of “homeliness’.
Not only is OBS a wonderful studio but it is also an Airbnb host. They have a number of rooms, which attract artists, solo travellers, writers and long-term guests. So there is always someone around to chat to! Throughout the studios and apartments, the walls are covered with paintings from all corners of the globe. Each painting has its own story of a friend or visitor who spent some time at OBS.
I have spent almost a whole month at this little sanctuary. In between class schedules, I have the freedom to play around in the studio with the swing, experiment with new moves and sequences and focus on developing the style of Airo Yoga. I have been extremely focused here, which has led to us scheduling our own small teacher training at the end of June. Something we did not think would be possible until at least next year.
So, if you are in KL, try a few classes at OBS. Even better, if you’re looking for a place to get focused, work and explore, then use OBS as your creative hub.