Breathing, movement, stillness and a bit of shopping were on the menu yesterday at Abu Dhabi’s Park Rotana, which hosted the first Happiness and Yoga Fest. The event offered a panel discussion and a variety of sessions ranging from the vigorous (ashtanga yoga) to the restful (pranayama breath work). There were also booths from local yoga and fitness outlets including Abu Dhabi’s Body Tree Studio, The Room, The Hot House (soon to be Abu Dhabi’s first Bikram studio in Al Zeina), and Go Organic ME and Exhale in Dubai. Here are five things overheard at the event:
On whether yoga and Islam are compatible:
“We all know yoga is not a religion.”
On happiness:
“That word is not even strong enough to describe how I feel right now.”
On leaving the corporate world to do energy work:
“There was a lot of psychic energy theft.”
On staying calm in a crowded class:
“If you are close to someone, don’t worry, just try to enjoy the touch of the stranger.”
On trying out a new look:
“I think I’m going to get the leopard pants.”
