Meet Jamie Zhou of Little Mandarin Yoga & Pilates in Camberwell Junction

With the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi as inspiration, Jamie Zhou and his wife Jowing Zhang have created a beautifully calming exercise space in the heart of Camberwell Junction.

“I describe it as Zen,” Mr Zhou said.

“Wabi-Sabi inspired the interior. It’s a light-filled, calm studio which is what we wanted. We worked with Wall architects and they were great at bringing our vision to life.”

Mr Zhou owns Little Mandarin Yoga & Pilates, located at the rear of Burke Rd facing Market Place, which is one of four studios in Melbourne.

The couple came to Australia from China in 2010.

“We gave up everything and made this huge decision to come here and start afresh,” Mr Zhou said.

“Jowing has been teaching yoga since 2005, and has been teaching at other studios in Melbourne since we got here.

“We decided a few years ago to take the next step and bring Jowing’s talent and passion to a business of our own,” Mr Zhou said.

The establishment of Little Mandarin Yoga & Pilates is a dream come true for the couple.

“We jumped in and faced the fear! We survived COVID lockdowns. It was tough but we survived, and now we are growing,” Mr Zhou said.

Offering a range of yoga classes and Pilates

Little Mandarin is an intimate and inclusive studio offering mat yoga, aerial yoga, wall ropes yoga and reformer Pilates classes.

“Our Camberwell studio is different from the others in that we offer wall ropes yoga which is becoming popular,” Mr Zhou said.

“Wall ropes yoga is a therapeutic practice. It uses ropes, pelvic swings, bars and other props to help enhance traction and extension of the body in different yoga poses. Everyone says they feel like they’ve been stretched and lengthened afterwards.”

If you’re new to wall ropes yoga, Mr Zhou suggests having a look at their Instagram videos to get a feel for what it entails.

“The ropes are your guide and support. It’s for people who have practised yoga before, rather than complete beginners,” he said.

Aerial 101 is beginner-friendly. The class eases you into trusting your aerial silk, overcoming the fear of heights, and learning basics like pulling yourself upside down and flipping over.

The studio runs hot yoga classes, too.

“Not Bikram yoga hot – a nice 30 degrees,” Mr Zhou said.

“We use hydronic heating which circulates heated water via pipes. It is a much more comfortable heat for a yoga studio. Heat is distributed evenly without uncomfortable hot spots or draughts.”

A fun studio with a loyal community

Little Mandarin is building a solid, loyal following, Mr Zhou said. While women aged from 20 through to early 40s make up most of the customer base, the studio has male clients too.

“We’ve been finding word-of-mouth recommendations are one of the main ways we get new people in,” Mr Zhou said.

“We also put videos on Instagram to show what we do here.”

The calm studio vibe is injected with a little fun, with the ropes and aerial yoga, and that means Little Mandarin has something to suit a variety of personalities and levels from beginner onwards.

“We have achieved here what we had imagined establishing and that’s great,” Mr Zhou said.

“We live locally, too. Camberwell is a great area – not too crowded but with a wonderful mix of people and retail, hospitality and exercise offerings.”

Visit the studio