Yoga is not new to the UAE, especially Dubai, where several celebrity and non-celebrity yoga gurus have, for years now, been getting the health-conscious and not-so-fit to hit the mat for a better lifestyle. But this weekend, for the first time, the Dubai government is taking this ancient discipline to the next level. The Dubai Tourism and Commerce Ministry and XDubai, an adventure and action sports company, has launched the initiative XYoga Dubai, a two-day event that, according to festival director Javad Khoramifar from XDubai, is an event for all, rather than just for yogis in the UAE.
“Yes it is mainly a fitness related event, speaking from an XDubai stand point, but more importantly it is about creating awareness.” Khoramifar told tabloid! earlier this month at Al Qasr hotel, Madinat Jumeirah. “There’s been a lot of buzz around yoga and focus is now on healthier lifestyle and eating well. So it made sense to promote yoga not only among the yogis [in Dubai] because they are already familiar with it but to the general public, especially in the Middle East, where there’s a general perception that yoga is not for men or that it is a south Asian thing only. But we’ve seen Europe and North America have been into it for a while and it’s about time that we as a city come together and show that there’s a lot more to yoga”.
Issam Abdul Rahim Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), told tabloid! that the festival adds to the annual calendar that fits in very well with Dubai Tourism’s vision of creating something for everybody. “It’s a natural transition because everyone here is going on the health and fitness trend and yoga finds that balance in a hectic lifestyle. At the same time [this event] also brings everybody together. So this particular festival does take a very holistic approach. We are not saying ‘Hey yogis, please come here’, we are telling the whole world ‘Come to Dubai’ because this is an additional thing to do within the actual calendar of activities and events.
“With specific interest in the initiative and the partnership with XDubai, we just felt that was a very good match as well, because XDubai does quite a lot of community focused events — more on the adventurous side — so this [for us] is kind of swaying on to another side to meet the requirements from a family perspective. There’s yoga for adults, old people, ladies only and pregnant women. This is exactly in line with events that Dubai Tourism does,” said Kazim.
With a line up of well-known international yogis including Delhi-based Suneel Singh, Sadie Nardini who is known for her blending of eastern and western techniques to create a powerful new style of Vinyasa yoga, 97-year-‘young’ Tao Porchon-Lynch, the Guinness World Record certified oldest yoga teacher in the world, Pierre Ravan, the first “spiritual house DJ”, along with several UAE-based yoga teachers and fitness consultants, XYoga promises to be a power-charged event with just a touch of glamour in the form of Bollywood actress, fitness enthusiast and author Shilpa Shetty Kundra, who will be on stage in Downtown Dubai with Singh on Friday, at 8am.
“We have a yoga committee comprising members from DTCM, XDubai and yoga consultants who decided the line up,” Khoramifar said. “We worked on an objective — which was to get the message out — and created a programme. Based on this programme we set out to pick the best yogis who would fit the profile. And we’ve been lucky. I hope they will become our ambassadors and continue with us in the coming years too.
“Bringing in Shilpa adds a lot of value to not just the overall performance of the event but is also a way to tell the Indian community that we’ve recognised her not just as a celebrity in Bollywood but as a yoga practitioner. Also, this will encourage an increase in participation from south Asians, particularly Indians. The primary people we are trying to target are mainly online. So celebs who have a strong influence on the digital platforms help this cause. At the same time, we have put a lot of focus on the local resident yogis as well because we want it to be a continuous thing and it made sense to bring the community and mix them with resident yogis”.
“Suneel Singh is one of the top three gurus in India, Shilpa Shetty is a celebrity. So we do understand that yes, there are certain communities, certain areas that have stronger strength in terms of yogis. We are collaborating with everybody to bring it all together,” said Kazim. “It’s not like we are reinventing the wheel [with the event] but just collaborating and bringing everything together to say ‘by the way all this is already happening in Dubai with the global perspective’. It doesn’t really matter who you are — whether you are a yoga teacher, a community based or private or government entity, a celebrity or yogi — we are bringing all these people together to create one festival”.
Focus on breathing, mind meditation and being physically fit will be the three main components of the initiative, Khoramifar said.
“Dubai has excelled in the last two decades. I can easily spend 10-12 hours a day in the office. We all make a lot of excuses ‘I’m too busy. I don’t get time to go to the gym, etc’. So it makes perfect sense to start with yoga because, you can do it literally almost anywhere — even while stuck in traffic where you can utilise some 20 minutes to do simple things such as rotating your wrists and elbows. So the idea or the focus behind this initiative is to educate more people that the time has come when you cannot have an excuse to exercise. And once the message is already out there we can obviously break it down further and focus on mainstream yoga and specific yoga courses as well. You can start with yoga and then hopefully use it as a foundation to adapt to a healthier lifestyle. Just come and try, even if it’s for a minute or two. I had never done yoga till I got involved in this project and, believe me, just after two sessions I was sitting better in the office, I was breathing better – apparently I had been breathing wrong for the last 33 years — which was surprising to me. A lot of small things that I felt due to long work hours literally disappeared. That’s the focus we are trying to touch upon”.
Don’t miss it
XYoga is a wellness initiative created by XDubai and Dubai Tourism. The event will be held on Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20, and is free to attend but prior registration is must. Limited spots available, log on to xyogadubai.com to register and for the full schedule of activities
The experience
Festival director Javad Khoramifar tells us what to expect at XYoga.
- What can participants look forward to at XYoga Dubai?
XYoga Dubai is designed to highlight the accessibility of yoga as a lifestyle choice to help encourage people to defy their physical limits and mental boundaries. Free yoga sessions and workshops will be held by international and local yogis. Our core attraction of the festival is the mass yoga session scheduled to take place on Friday which will be conducted by Suneel Singh with Shilpa Shetty. Guests can also expect interactive events and live music sets from Capoeira, Pierre Ravan and Sadie Nardini. Since it’s a festival, there will be a lot of food stalls with a focus on healthy eating, raw cooking. There will also be yoga apparel and accessories stalls and, of course, a kids entertainment area. It’s a fun event and anyone is welcome to enjoy it free of charge.
- Who should participate?
There is no limitation. Sessions are available for people of all ages and abilities. There are many types of yoga classes available with a focus on health-related issues such as diabetes and women’s issues. Tao Porchon-Lynch, the Guinness World Record certified oldest yoga instructor at 97, is living testament that yoga is for everyone.
- What should participants bring with them?
An open mind, a sense of fun, water and a sweat towel!
The yogis
The event will see several international and UAE-based yogis. Some of them are:
Dr Amy Rachelle: a respected detox doctor who will be teaching unique medicinal approaches to cleansing and healing the mind, body and soul. Her session is tailored to balance the body physically and enhance emotional wellbeing.
Sadie Nardini: TV host and founder of LA’s Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga will use flowing movement to increase flexibility. Her session will facilitate emotional relief, liberating creativity and empowering through yoga.
Suneel Singh: The renowned Indian yogi will be demonstrating the core strength of yoga through various conscience awareness exercises, and will also host the main yoga session on the Friday.
Sanne Kerkhof: Amsterdam’s celebrated yoga teacher will be running a therapeutic yoga workshop where she will be presenting calming ways of preserving inner peace and the techniques to ease childbirth and how to heal the body after delivery.
Tao Porchon-Lynch: The 97-year-old grand dame of yoga will be leading a Vinyasa yoga session on Saturday, a style that’s not only about linking the physical movements but also linking from within. This is the perfect session for beginners and the perfect class for all ages and abilities.
Brian Crawford: A self-made and highly regarded American yoga photographer, will be running workshops concentrated on inner peace and discussion on how practising yoga facilitated his passion for photography.
Dashama Konah: Stand up paddle board star will share her journey from student to teacher through the transformative experiences with yoga.
The number game
10,000 is the number of participants expected to join in the main yoga session on Friday with Suneel Singh and Shilpa Shetty Kundra.
