City Guide: Yoga Movement's Alicia Pan shares her top spots in Serangoon

Homegrown lifestyle boutique Yoga Movement (YM) has been quite the powerhouse on the local fitness scene. The brand recently opened its seventh studio at the charming and eclectic Serangoon Gardens, with an eighth on the way in December at the buzzy Tanjong Pagar. 

The woman behind the brand is none other than Alicia Pan. She wears many hats – as co-founder and director of the brand, veteran yoga teacher, and also mother of two. Alicia has left an indelible mark on YM, stamping her love of good music, good food, and good vibes in every aspect of how the label has grown. If you're a member of 100,000-strong 'YM fam', you can probably attest to its modern approach to yoga – blending HIIT-style and strength routines, RnB beats, café bars (at the Orchard studio), and a breezy, accessible YM mobile application. 

Alicia – and Yoga Movement – doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. We take the time to sit down and find out more about YM's new location in Serangoon Gardens, Alicia's reflections on wellness amidst the pandemic, and her favourite spots in the Serangoon neighbourhood. 

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Hi Alicia, thanks for speaking to us and congrats on the new Serangoon studio! First things first, why Serangoon?

Thank you! Serangoon Gardens has always been an area of interest. It’s a really cool and busy neighbourhood that has pretty much everything you need…except for yoga! With work-from-home (WFH) or a hybrid working style is here to stay for at least a little bit longer, you can see that this year saw us embrace new locations outside of the CBD. We had been scouting the Serangoon area for a while now, and when the opportunity to pursue the space we took popped up it was an immediate ‘HELL YES, we’re coming for you!’ moment.

How is the new space unique from the other YM concept studios?

I think this location is the epitome of 'same same but different', in a sense that you walk in there it feels somewhat unique, but you can also immediately sense the ‘good vibes only’ YM feels, from the way the chill-out area looks, to the way the studio smells, to the music that we play. A lot of people who have set foot in there have commented that it feels like you’re on a holiday when you’re in the space. It’s good to know that we can provide people with the sense of a make-believe holiday since travelling is such a hassle at the moment.

How is YM maintaining that intimate boutique feel across its many studios?

It’s really our YMFAM that keeps the community feel. While we are expanding rapidly, it is always our number one priority to make sure that every touchpoint of the brand continues to remain consistent across the board. This includes location fit-outs, room layouts, brand and team training, and so forth.

Let’s talk about you – has your approach to wellness changed during the pandemic? What’s your must-do wellness ritual?

If there is anything that I can point to, it is the fact that I have definitely been a little bit kinder to myself with regards to my expectations of myself, both mentally as well as physically, during the pandemic. I used to be quite stringent with the need to push myself physically daily even with the heavy responsibility of the business and two kids. These days, while I continue to stay focused and motivated, I have accepted and acknowledged that there will be bad days and that it is okay to be sad or unhappy when the need arises. A five to 10-minute ‘clearing’ session with myself before I go to bed every night is something that I try to do so that I know that I can wake up aligned and feeling purposeful the next day.

What are you looking forward in 2022?

I am definitely looking forward to being able to plan big-picture things again in the new year, both with regards to the business and my family. The pandemic has halted many things for many people in so many ways, and for me not being able to plan was the most difficult feeling to endure.