When you head to a new destination on holiday, it does not mean that your practice must stop. Yoga is a continuous process of improvement, and it is important that you give yourself some time out of your busy day of walking the streets of Dubai and visiting various tourist attractions to sit, breath, meditate and do at least a few minutes of yoga. This will also help keep you fit and active for your daily activities, as well as help you avoid injuries.
There are various reputable studios in Dubai, and even better – one or two beach resorts in Dubai that you could easily spend a day or more at. Here are a few of my favorites:
Urban Yoga – Downtown/Business Bay:
This yoga studio is situated in a New York style loft, cool and spacious – perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up power session or a morning stretch. Their yogi teacher’s hail from around the world and all bring various styles and routines into the mix. Classes include Urban Flow, Ashtanga, Mysore, Yin and Stretch yoga, to name a few. Looking to be move your zen outside? Urban Yoga offers rooftop evening sessions underneath the stars at Emirates Towers on a monthly basis!
Friends Of Yoga – Dubai:
Friends of Yoga is a global initiative that offers free yoga classes around the globe for a more yogi aware community. In Dubai, the Friends of Yoga is hosted in various places including Creek, Abu-Shagara Park, Deira, Zabeel, Buheira and Al Nahda, to name a few. It is very important for Friends of Yoga to encourage residents to take time off, even just for one hour per day, to reflect physically, mentally and emotionally by practicing yoga on a daily basis.
Bikram Yoga – Icon Towers, Dubai:
If the heat of Dubai is not powerful enough for you and you would like to turn up your practice a notch or two more, then head down to the Icon Towers for a very hot yoga practice. Bikram is made up of 26 poses which are repeated in the space of 90 minutes. What can seem simple at first, can become rather challenging when being held for one minutes at a time! Bikram has sweeped the world with its popularity and these classes held in the city centre will help with balance, focus and flexibility.
Yoga Retreat – Talise Spa:
If you are looking to practice yoga for more than an hour at a time, then why not invest a few days of your holiday with a yoga retreat at a beach resort in Dubai? My favourite retreat has to be one of the most opulent options around – the Talise Spa at the Jumeriah. This retreat will cater for advanced practitioners to those who are just starting out and includes a two night stay in one of the villas, a total of six hours over yoga over three days and various educational talks and workshops to indulge in.
In addition to these options, I have found various other types of yoga sessions anyone can partake in including acro yoga (which takes you up into the air) Yogalates (a combination of yoga and Pilates) and retreats that can suit various budgets!
