It began in a moment of collapse.
A screen full of emails, a phone ringing endlessly, a meeting she couldn’t postpone, and her son’s voice calling from the next room. Archana Amlapure had spent more than a decade thriving in high-performance corporate environments, first at SAP Labs and later at ExxonMobil. She had an engineering degree, an Executive MBA from IIM Calcutta, and a résumé that could make any recruiter proud. But that day, her body simply refused to keep up.
“It felt like something heavy had taken over my chest,” she recalls quietly. “My breath became shallow. My mind froze. I just remember thinking, I need to be alive for my son.”
That panic attack was her body’s final warning, a visceral rebellion against years of constant deadlines, long hours, and the silent expectation to stay strong. It wasn’t just a health scare; it was the moment her life split into before and after.
From Control to Surrender
The panic attack forced a reckoning. Doctors told her nothing was seriously wrong, but she knew better. The issue wasn’t physical; it was existential. “In retrospect,” she says, “I realised I couldn’t keep living my life on autopilot, constantly in fight or flight. That’s when I decided to take charge of my emotions and my health.”
That “other way” began when she attended her first yoga class. It wasn’t planned or dramatic. Just a moment where she decided to try something different. But on the mat, something shifted. “It was the first time in years I felt grounded. My breath slowed down. My mind felt quiet. I remember thinking, ‘So this is what calm feels like.’”
The calm didn’t end when class did. Over the weeks that followed, she began sleeping better. Her thoughts felt clearer. She started responding rather than reacting. “It wasn’t about flexibility or poses,” she explains. “It was about finding stillness in motion.”
Discovering the Science Behind Stillness
Curious about how such small movements could create such deep change, Archana enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training course. Initially, just to understand the science behind the practice. But what she learned transformed more than her knowledge; it rewired her perspective on life.
“I didn’t plan to teach,” she says with a laugh. “I only wanted to learn. But as I experienced these subtle yet powerful changes – better sleep, mental clarity, emotional balance – I thought, if yoga can transform my life like this, how many others could it help?”
That thought became a mission. In 2017, Archana made a decision that would surprise her colleagues and redefine her purpose. She left her corporate career and founded Ojas Yoga & Wellness in Singapore, a space designed not for escape, but for renewal.
The Birth of Ojas
The name “Ojas” wasn’t chosen at random. In yogic philosophy, ojas is the vital energy that sustains life, clarity, and joy. For Archana, it symbolised everything she had lost, and everything she wanted to help others reclaim.
“I didn’t want Ojas to be just another yoga studio,” she explains. “I wanted it to be a sanctuary of harmony, balance, and awareness, a place where people could recharge and reconnect with themselves.”
That vision first came to life at 359 Joo Chiat Road, the heart of Singapore’s East Coast. The main Ojas Yoga & Wellness studio there remains a serene retreat tucked away from the city’s rush, a space filled with light, calm, and intention.
Her vision was shaped by her own experience in the corporate world. She understood what it meant to sit for long hours, to feel your shoulders tighten by 3 pm, to chase productivity while your nervous system begs for a pause. “The people I meet every day remind me of who I used to be,” she says. “Running on empty, disconnected from their bodies, surviving instead of living.”
A Space for Real People and Real Lives
From the start, Ojas was designed with inclusivity in mind. Classes were created not just for the flexible or the fit, but for anyone who needed to breathe again. “You don’t have to change to begin yoga,” Archana says. “Yoga is the tool that helps you create change.”
The studio’s approach is holistic, blending traditional asanas with therapeutic breathwork, mindfulness, and yoga therapy. Sessions are structured to meet students where they are, whether they’re beginners struggling with back pain, professionals battling burnout, or individuals simply seeking quiet.
“Every person walks in with a story,” she says. “Our role is to help them reconnect with their bodies and build awareness. Once awareness comes, healing follows naturally.”
The Science of Reconnection
Archana’s approach to wellness is deeply practical. She doesn’t believe in quick fixes or grand philosophies disconnected from daily life. “Health is the foundation, happiness is the journey, and harmony is the destination,” she says. “If we can align with this, everything else falls into place.”
At Ojas, that philosophy unfolds through multiple pathways:
- Group Classes for building strength and community.
- Private Sessions for those needing personalised attention or recovery from specific conditions.
- Yoga Therapy for modern ailments like anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain.
- Breathwork and Meditation that help busy professionals calm their nervous systems and refocus.
She also curates retreats that take participants beyond the city. Immersive experiences where the pace slows, the phone stays silent, and self-awareness deepens. “People often come back saying they finally learned how to rest,” Archana shares. “That’s when I know something has shifted.”
The Corporate Connection
Perhaps what makes Ojas Yoga stand out most is how seamlessly it bridges the gap between personal well-being and professional life. Archana speaks the language of both. Having spent years in corporate environments herself, she understands the cost of constant performance.
Her corporate wellness programmes are grounded in empathy and evidence. Ojas now partners with leading organisations across Singapore to deliver talks, workshops, and corporate yoga programmes – many of which are tailored for high-stress teams in sectors like finance, healthcare, and tech.
“We don’t simply conduct sessions; we walk alongside organisations,” she says. Each programme begins with pre-session questionnaires to understand team needs and ends with feedback to track progress. From posture correction to mindfulness for focus, everything is designed to be practical and immediately applicable.
In 2023, Ojas Yoga was recognised among the Top 10 Corporate Wellness Companies in Singapore, a milestone that quietly validated what Archana had built, not through marketing, but through results.
Building Calm in the Heart of the City
The newest chapter of her journey is unfolding in Singapore’s Central Business District. Ojas’s flagship studio at OUE Downtown, a 2,300-square-foot space of soft light and quiet, is strategically placed where stress is most concentrated. It’s designed as both a retreat and a reminder that calm can exist even in the middle of chaos.
“Our vision is to normalise the idea of a ‘work-in,’ not just a workout,” Archana says. “We want people to slow down, recharge, and see that doing less can sometimes achieve more.”
One of the studio’s standout features will be meditation pods, where professionals can take a few minutes between meetings to reset. “Even ten minutes of mindful breathing can change how you show up for the rest of your day,” she explains.
For Archana, bringing yoga into the CBD isn’t about convenience, but it’s about relevance. “The people who need stillness most are often the ones who believe they don’t have time for it,” she says. “So we’re meeting them where they are.”
The Ripple Effect
Over the years, Archana has empowered more than a thousand individuals through her classes, workshops, and talks on stress management and emotional resilience. Her book, Health, Happiness, and Harmony, distills her philosophy into simple, accessible practices for everyday life.
But her greatest pride lies in the transformations she witnesses daily–the client whose decade-long migraines have finally eased, the executive who now sleeps without medication, the parent who no longer feels perpetually on edge.
“The true achievement,” she says, “is when people take ownership of their health and inspire those around them to do the same. That’s when wellness becomes a ripple effect.”
Grounded Leadership
Despite the growing success of Ojas, Archana is quick to admit that entrepreneurship has brought its own pressures. Yet she navigates them with the same tools she teaches. Meditation and mindfulness are part of her daily rhythm. She doesn’t chase the idea of balance; she practises synergy–a flow between work, family, and self that feels natural rather than forced.
She’s also preparing for the future–plans to open new studios across Singapore and Southeast Asia, develop teacher training programmes, and design leadership retreats for high-stress industries. “The goal,” she says, “isn’t expansion for its own sake. It’s about deepening impact.”
What keeps her grounded is simple: her own practice, her family, and the belief that calm is not a luxury–it’s a necessity. “True wellness begins from within,” she says. “It’s not about escaping your life; it’s about returning to it with more clarity and strength.”
A Quiet Revolution
From a moment of breathless panic to a life built on conscious calm, Archana Amlapure’s story is less about leaving success behind than redefining it. Through Ojas Yoga & Wellness, she’s helping Singapore’s professionals and anyone willing to pause. Remember that strength doesn’t always come from pushing harder. Sometimes, it comes from learning to be still.
As she says, with the steady conviction of someone who has lived both chaos and calm:
“Health is the foundation, happiness is the journey, and harmony is the destination. If we can align with this, everything else falls into place.”
And if you’re curious to experience that balance for yourself, you can book a free consultation, a gentle first step toward rediscovering your own calm
