42
Workshop Review Yoga in Dubai Clayton Horton Following is an interview with German yoga teacher, Véronique Fleming, on her experience teaching yoga a workshop at Zen Yoga in Dubai during the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. and higher, therefore you’ve got to deal with talking over the noise of the AC and the cool air blasting. WHAT WAS THE CLOTHING OF WOMEN IN CLASS AND OUT IN PUBLIC? I believe there were only a few Muslim women in class. Everybody wore regular yoga clothes in class and street clothes after class. I was so curious myself, wondering what it would be like, compared to what I read about Dubai. Alas....yes, some do bring their cell phones into class and check their messages during practice. For some women, they must check in with their families and husbands regularly. Clothing in public was altogether different. We most definitely had to cover our shoulders outside. I loved seeing people in the malls (where everybody hangs out, from decked out Russian escort ladies, to the most conservative of Muslims) dressed in various forms of Islamic clothing. Starbucks packed with men in throbes (white long robes worn) and women wearing haute couture under various forms of jilbabs (coverings). Really a trip if you’re not used to it. Often women would be covered head to ankle, and you’d see the most expensive Cartier gold watches and bracelets peeking out from under their sleeves, not to mention all the fabulous shoes. Ramadan is an Islamic religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar; the month in which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims do not eat or drink anything from true dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to teach the person patience, sacrifice and humility. Ramadan is a time to fast for the sake of God, and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. WHAT’S YOGA SCENE IN DUBAI LIKE? I am familiar with Zen Yoga which has three locations, one in Emirates Hills, one in the village mall, and one in Dubai Media City which is where I taught. They offer a ton of classes. All the studios are in malls of some kind, as Dubai is one big mall. It is the desert after all, and people hang out mostly indoors. There might be a few other studios, but that’s about it. A majority of classes offered are for women only. WHAT WAS THE STUDIO LIKE? Very stylish, almost spa-like. Very tasteful check-in lounge with a killer yoga clothes boutique. They have 2 practice rooms with air conditioning. Outside it was 45- degrees ANY MEN IN THE CLASSES? We had just two in the workshop we taught there. It seems like they are still in that phase of ‘yoga is a women’s thing’, at least among the ex-pats, not to mention the obvious fact that it is an Islamic country. When I was teaching, a law or new regulation had just recently passed so men could teach yoga. Before that, only women were allowed to teach. They were offering a separate class just for men only at one of their studios. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TEACHING IN AN ISLAMIC COUNTRY DURING RAMADAN? Well, the teaching part was great. The major challenge was eating! We got reminded several times that we were not allowed to eat or drink in public. At lunch we’d have to find a place that was open, hidden behind black curtains, get the food to go and find a place to eat it. That usually meant sneaking off into a parking garage in a corner, hoping no one would walk by and see us eating. During the day, the streets were very empty, but also due to the heat, and after sunset, the malls were jamming. HOW DOES YOGA FIT IN WITH ALL OF THE WEALTH, HEAT AND DESSERT ARCHITECTURE OF DUBAI? What I love about Islamic countries is Adhan, the call to prayer. You hear the call, and it just reminds you, it’s time to pray and remember God. How beautiful is that? I would do that internally, every time I heard the call. Yoga does not just come in the shape of asanas. It has infinite forms. Tthen you sometimes see people drop where they are and do their ‘prostrations’. I saw that as salutations to God. To me, this was similar to Sun salutations. Just because people are wealthy, does not necessarily mean they are spiritually decrepit. It is time for us to stop the thinking the rich are all so morally bankrupt, regardless of all the (negative) focus in the media. Dubai itself is deluxe, over-the-top, opulent to the max. Dubai is not organic. It is mostly walls of malls in a glass, steel and concrete desert. I missed seeing a bird or some sign of nature. Isn’t that ironic. Yet, how perfect that yoga can bring forth the inner landscape and beauty that is lacking there externally. This is creating balance, and that is good for all beings. For more information on Veronique visit www.theyogaloft.de. For more information on Zen Yoga in Dubai visit www.yoga.ae Clayton is the director of Greepath Yoga in San Francisco. www.greenpathyoga.org 43