Unique yoga spots

Five Abu Dhabi yoga adventures worth signing up for before it’s too hot

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to yoga, a spandexed lotus-pose veteran, or somewhere in between, there’s something special about stepping outside of your usual ‘shala’ (yoga lingo for ‘ home’), taking your chakras off-piste and unrolling your mat in a more exotic space.

The Studio, beachfront yoga

Popular flex-hub The Studio offers beachfront field trip classes at top five-star ‘flop and drop’ spots, Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas and Beach Rotana. You can select hatha sessions, sunset yoga, chakra cleanses, yin and yang yoga, full moon yoga and more, for as long as the weather holds.

Group session pricing from Dhs75. Tel: (0)2 621 0000. thestudiouae.com

Al Gurm Corniche

This recently opened respite from city living offers a designated space for alfresco yoga sessions, and it’s free.

The waterfront promenade sits right on the cusp of the Mangrove National Park, offering a welcome green line that stretches the full 3.5km of the suburban corniche.

Al Gurm Corniche, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street. @algurmcorniche

Seven Wellness, beach and park

Seven Wellness describes itself as the ‘ultimate urban retreat for the soul’, but among the huge variety of wholesome activities on its books, you’ll find a few shala-without-walls experiences. You can book alfresco yoga classes in two breezy locations – Umm Al Emarat Park (where its vinyasa classes are free to attend), as well as the emirate’s gorgeous new boho beach club, Cove Beach (Dhs65 for nonmembers).

Tel: (056) 407 5405, book on clients.mindbodyonline.com

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort

You can commune among the dunes (weather permitting) on the terrace of this luxurious resort, which is so dedicated to the practice of the yogic arts it has its own in-house internationallycertified yoga and meditation expert, Ratheesh Valiyaparambil. You don’t have to check in to bliss out – its sunrise and sunset classes are open to the public but you will have to get up early if you want to strike a pose in the sunrise yoga session as it starts at 7am each morning (and the resort is a 50-minute drive from Downtown Abu Dhabi). Sunset classes start at around 6pm, and there are also special prenatal yoga courses available.

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Dhs190 group sessions, private Dhs350. Tel: (0)2 886 2088. @anantaraqasralsarab

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Yoga at Louvre Abu Dhabi takes place in a space deliberately crafted to stage the interplay of sun, sea and wind. Sessions take place twiceweekly and cost just Dhs90. The 75-minute yoga sessions take place on Sundays and Tuesdays at 10.15am and 5pm. The classes are run by top yoga studio, BodyTree, and you can even pair the experience with the ‘Contemplative Vibes’ playlist on Anghami.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Sun and Tues at 10.15am and 5pm (but you’ll need to arrive 15 minutes in advance), Dhs90. Tel: (600) 565566. bodytreestudio.com