Yoga in the park, a community benefit
I am sharing this thought as I was an active member of the group (‘Yoga enthusiasts banned from park in Dubai’, Gulf News, January 26). First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Dubai Municipality for providing us with beautiful parks in different areas of the city for use by the general public. Healthy, happier and positive people definitely contribute to the country’s growth and make it a better place to live. The free one-hour daily service of yoga activity at Mankhool Park has benefited in bringing back/maintaining health and happiness to most of the participants. I feel that such activities re-affirm the resident’s contribution to the happiness and health programs launched by the authorities. Yoga in groups of four is not very motivating and the purpose of the exercise is defeated. My sincere request to the authorities to look into this matter and permit such noble initiatives to continue for the community’s benefit.
From Ms Savita
Gulf News reader and yoga enthusiast
Not the place
I believe that the municipality has done the right thing. It seems there are a lot of personal trainers and fitness groups operating in parks without paying a penny to the municipality. They should be operating indoors by paying rent and relevant fees to the municipality. Moreover, families and children often feel embarrassed when these people coming to the park with tight and revealing outfits.
From Mr Abbas Perwad
UAE
Facebook comment
It wasn’t fair
If he was making a business out of it, then yes he has to pay municipality fees, but he was doing this for free. There was no monetary benefit in it for him so why should he be paying fees to the municipality?
The only reason they stop large groups from having gatherings without a licence is for security reasons.
But in this case, it was obviously a harmless activity. It wasn’t fair to call it off.
From Ms Morvarid Jalali
UAE
Facebook comment
A healthy activity
The park is free for everyone. It’s a healthy activity and free for everyone to join. Maybe, the space that they are occupying is a nuisance to some of the people in the park. Perhaps they have to make some necessary documents to the municipality regarding their group and permission to use the park. Hopefully they can resume their activities soon.
From Mr Jon Zenitram
UAE
Facebook comment
Taking over the park
I think it’s good because these people are annoying. A park is a place where people can move freely and children can play and run around. These yoga people block off a large area and no one can pass as if they own the area!
From Ms Nadia Al Ameri
UAE
Facebook comment
A children’s place
Yoga can sometimes be provocative. Some people wear attire that looks like they used oil to slip into it. This is a park where children go.
From Mr Kamau Wa Macharia
UAE
Facebook comment
A chance to be healthy
I was part of ‘Friends of Yoga’ group for several years and the group itself was one of the very few and very old yoga groups in Dubai, having volunteers in several locations (mine was Zabeel Park), selflessly spreading the wonderful benefits of yoga to one and all for free. Come rain or shine, the volunteers in the group would conduct a class of one hour diligently every morning and evening, even if there was only one participant turning up. We always had many participants who were only too eager to soak up the free yoga, compared to the ridiculously expensive paid sessions being offered across Dubai.
There was an annual celebration where all participants with their families would have a get-together with good wholesome home-cooked food, games for children and the yoga members putting up a show for the guests, showing what they have achieved over the course of the year that went by.
Unfortunately, around the same time that this writer mentioned, September 2016, even our group was dismantled and told in no unclear terms that group activity of any kind will not be allowed.. Our head volunteers went and met the officials on several occasions, but regretfully never got permission.
The authorities should encourage a healthy lifestyle by making awareness campaigns about it and enticing more and more people to take up activities like yoga to be healthy and continue to be committed to it by regularly attending free sessions. It’s a chance to be healthy without having to worry about making a dent in your income.
It completely frazzled me to come to know that Friends of Yoga will cease to be, because it didn’t get permission. It really saddened me and crushed many of us.
I sincerely hope that the authorities will re-consider their decision and let us continue the wonderful service and make it active again by allowing its volunteers to help us Dubai residents stay healthy and practice healthy habits like yoga.
From Ms Priya Venkatesh
Dubai
Please, let us return!
Gulf News is doing a great service to humanity through the community reports. I am one of the disappointed members of the yoga group that was called off in Mankhool Park. Valerian Alva was conducting yoga in a professional manner, at one corner of the park without any disturbance to the public. In fact, it was a great inspiration to the regular visitors of the park. But sadly, the park banned our yoga practice. Now, we are allowed to practise in very small groups of three or four.
The original charm and enthusiasm is lost because there is no such commitment, dedication and punctuality that used to be the distinct feature of the group. All of us are missing our dear teacher’s involvement in training us and we lack professionalism. He was a man of action and he barely spoke other than the commands.
Above all, it was a great pleasure to carry that sense of togetherness and belongingness in a large group. Innumerable days, I’ve walked out of the park with a great sense of gratitude, blessing the benevolence of this beautiful city for granting that place and freedom.
Please allow us to resume the yoga practice. After all, Dubai is one city that cares for its resident’s health and happiness.
From Mr Shivprasad
Dubai
Worrisome for India
Congratulations to English cricket captain Eoin Morgan and his team for their convincing win in Kanpur, India and thus taking a 1-0 lead in the T20 series (‘Morgan gives England big win in first Twenty20’, Gulf News, January 27). While the English bowlers were able to choke and bounce out India’s world class batsmen, their bowlers were erratic throughout.
To add to India’s woes was the “no ball”, which continues to haunt them since last year’s T20 World Cup. Another worry is the opening pair. Let us hope that Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli are able to plug these holes before the commencement of the Champions Trophy in England.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Mylapore, India
Technology has saved us
I agree that 2017 will be the best ever because there is no reason not to rejoice our today rather than pondering over how the future will be like (‘Why 2017 may be the best year ever’, Gulf News, January 25). Emotions aside, if technology killed the human touch, so did it reap benefits for mankind. Thanks to technology, even though we are unable to connect physically with our loved ones due to work constraints or financial woes that took us abroad away from our homeland, we can still connect virtually. With advancement in medicine, there are fewer still born babies, solutions to most are catered for, which was unheard of for the previous generations.
Education and improvisation has helped man connect with happenings around the world where one can learn from another nation’s expertise. Old forms of Ayurveda and yoga have reached internationally making mankind aware of the benefits of healthy living.
People are more empowered than they were in the past and education has helped them move ahead in life to give a better tomorrow that we were once deprived of.
From Ms Sandhya Shetty
UAE
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