Feeling kind of off? Here’s a promise: you can fix yourself in just 75 minutes tomorrow with a new moon yoga class.
Dubai has always been spoiled for choice when it comes to full and new moon yoga – any outdoor classes, really – so it was welcome news when Monte-Carlo Beach Club launched its own classes in Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island earlier this month.
I attended the first full moon yoga class at the club two weeks ago, drawn by the concept of doing my favourite activity in a lush setting and outdoors, even if I didn’t exactly understand what we were supposed to be capitalising on. Something about our bodies being mostly water, high tides, gravitational pull and the power of new beginnings?
It all sounds very woo-woo, especially when what I needed was to relax, having arrived for that class feeling more annoyed than I had in months. (Full moons tend to do that to people – just ask anyone who has ever worked in an emergency room or a restaurant.)
I chose one of the only free spots near the cabanas and spent the first five minutes silently cursing a group of ladies having a loud gossip session to my left. I was sure I would never be able to forget about them, but soon enough they faded away as I became immersed in a gentle hatha flow that involved lots of long, soothing downward dogs. By the end I was calm and content, ready for the deep and restful sleep that had eluded me all week. Yoga is funny like that, no matter what the moon looks like. The Monte-Carlo classes are suitable for all levels; the more than 30 people in my class were a mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced. The club also provides mats and towels.
• The 75 minute full moon and new moon classes will be held on January 30 at 7.30pm and on February 15, March 1, March 16 and March 30. Dh60 for members and Dh85 for non-members. For more information, contact 02 656 3500 or info@montecarlobeachclub.ae
amcqueen@thenational.ae
