If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you’ll quickly discover the importance of providing yourself with the right “equipment”.
Wait, what? You need equipment to practise yoga? You mean it’s not all “Ommming” and stretching out over a leg? Yup, that’s right, modern yoga is all about movement, and dare I say “empowerment” within these movements. It’s a chance for you to marry strength, flexibility and mindfulness with a luscious supply of asanas (yoga poses), all to ensure a connection to the present moment. It is, after all, the exercise of the 21st century.
Your non-slip yoga mat will save you from what will feel like an eternity of endless, frustrating moments in downward-facing dog as your hands and feet slide slowly like snails in opposite directions. Your fitted tank will promise not to drape down over your head, revealing much more than you had hoped, as you flow through a vinyasa. Your curve-hugging, non-cotton tights will ensure that your instructor will be able to provide the correct alignment for your hips and legs, while keeping you fresh as you perspire. Did I forget to mention how convenient a yoga strap, block and super-comfortable undergarments can be?
Enter the most recognisable and top-selling yoga activewear company of the past decade: Lululemon Athletica. Also known as simply “Lululemon” or “lulu” to the cool kids, this now-billion-dollar company entered the scene in 1998 to fill a gap for proper yoga apparel for women. According to its Vancouver-based founder Chip Wilson, back in those days, everything was made of cotton, was too loose-fitting and didn’t offer the right technical support.
So what makes this brand so popular? For starters: the clothing. Personally, I haven’t found a pair of yoga pants that I love more than the Wunder Under Crops in Luon (the roll-down version is the best). The fit is comfortable, concealing and smoothing in all the right places (definitely no muffin top here), while Lulu’s “luon” technical fabric is sweat-wicking, moveable and breathable. And, not forgetting what may be the most important factor in offering up a hefty US$98 (Dh360) price for a single pair, they tend to last for years and years. As do the tops, sweaters, jackets and believe it or not, the undergarments.
A big part of the success of the clothing actually depends heavily on the feedback of local instructors, or “Lululemon ambassadors”, chosen on a rotating basis at each store. These teachers are asked to wear Lululemon’s products and offer their insight and feedback, basically putting the products in the hands of the consumers who are most in the know. You’ll see these ambassadors’ pictures gracing the walls of their prospective stores and their classes tend to be “hot” picks favoured by store staff.
Lululemon’s clothes are also popular thanks to the variety and consistency. There are several options in pants for lots of shapes – although the company has been criticised for excluding a large portion of the population by making nothing larger than a US size 12 – and, unlike other brands, it keeps its staple styles constant, with some basics being retained since the company’s inception. However, Lululemon does continuously create designs to honour the latest trends, while still offering the basics.
As a former “educator” at the Georgetown, Washington store, I can vouch first-hand for the company’s dedication to community and the pursuit of greatness. This, at times, could be bizarrely conveyed – in a too upbeat, “I drank the Kool-Aid” sort of way – but hey, maybe it’s just the “happy” endorphins talking, right? Either way, the free yoga classes and interaction opportunities stores offer do bring people together and build a wonderful sense of community. This, of course, is an asset to any city.
So there you have it – if you can get past all the hype and at-times negative publicity, Lululemon can definitely offer you a multitude of good, durable products. However, as I tell my yoga students, when it comes to their personal practice, to each their own. Maybe it’s for you. Maybe it’s not. Have a look when the Dubai store opens, you can decide for yourself.
• Jen Stewart is a yoga instructor in Abu Dhabi. Follow her on Instagram @jenstewartyoga or email jenstewart06@gmail.com for class times and locations
artslife@thenational.ae
The specs: Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 hybrid
Power: 680hp
Torque: 930Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh749,000
On sale: Now
The specs: 2024 Panamera
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 353hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh408,200
On sale: Now
Start times
5.55am: Wheelchair Marathon Elites
6am: Marathon Elites
7am: Marathon Masses
9am: 10Km Road Race
11am: 4Km Fun Run
Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
Masters of the Air
Directors: Cary Joji Fukunaga, Dee Rees, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Tim Van Patten
Starring: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, Sawyer Spielberg
Rating: 2/5
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier
UAE fixtures
25 April – Ireland v UAE*
27 April – UAE v Zimbabwe**
29 April – Netherlands v UAE*
3 May – UAE v Vanuatu*
5 May – Semi-finals
7 May – Final
UAE squad: Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Avanee Patel, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kavisha Kumari, Khushi Sharma, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish, Vaishnave Mahesh.
*Zayed Cricket Stadium
**Tolerance Oval
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Results:
5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1.400m | Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige Dh 110,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Saab, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Majd Al Gharbia, Saif Al Balushi, Ridha ben Attia
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed Dh 180,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Money To Burn, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh 70,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Kafu, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 2,400m | Winner: Brass Ring, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld