DUBAI // The UAE's first Yogafest will offer free yoga and meditation classes from sunrise to sunset at Dubai Internet City today in an effort to get office workers out from behind their desks and stretching their way to health.
The hour-long classes for novice and experienced practitioners will be held in succession at Internet City's outdoor amphitheatre.
Organisers hope it will draw some of the 60,000 people who work in surrounding office buildings out into the fresh air.
"People spend their days hunched over their laptops, and don't breath enough to fill their lungs with air, or stretch to release tensions from their shoulders," said Elaine Kelly, the organiser and yoga instructor.
Ms Kelly, a full-time employee at Microsoft, said she wanted to host the event somewhere green, but also accessible.
Organisers hope to attract up to 2,000 people. Volunteer instructors from eight studios will teach 11 different styles of yoga, including a full-moon yoga class, bikram, yoga dance and budokan, which mixes martial arts and yoga.
The idea was inspired by the US Yogafest in June, when thousands of people gathered in Times Square in New York to do yoga throughout the day and celebrate the summer solstice.
Ms Kelly wanted to bring the idea to Dubai, where the shortest day of the year, winter solstice, is during the nicest weather. The full moon is a welcome coincidence. "The symbols are all there for the circle of life, the sun and the moon," she said.
To ensure the festival focused on the community, Ms Kelly turned down multiple sponsorship offers. "I don't want it to be an event with [freebies] you throw away," she said. "It's about being in the fresh air, enjoying people and learning about yoga."
No participant will walk away empty-handed, however. Everyone will be given a free pass to attend a class at either Zen Yoga, Club Stretch, Chill Spa, or Exhale Ladies Fitness Centre.
mdetrie@thenational.ae
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Company%20Profile
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Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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Could%20We%20Be%20More
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Company%20Profile
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