It’s been a tough couple of years and for a lot of people, a chance to stop and reflect has also meant some well-deserved time to set aside for more holistic endeavours. Endeavours like meditation.
A practice often used alongside yoga, meditation can come in many forms (mantra, movement, spiritual and more) and can incorporate breathing techniques, slow movement and an element of life coaching.Only recently have meditation classes been flourishing in Saudi Arabia, so here’s how you can get involved. Check out the best meditation classes in Riyadh.
Exhale Yoga
Among the plethora of classes at Exhale Yoga (honestly, whatever you want they probably do it) is their meditation and pranayama yoga class. Prana means ‘vital life force’ and yama ‘to gain control’ in Sanskrit, and with prana being linked to breathing this is where the breath control is used in this form of yoga and meditation. According to the team at Exhale, “We believe that practicing yoga regularly greatly enhances a person’s physical, mental and spiritual health. This produces a powerful ripple effect, which radiates through the surrounding family, community, and workforce in ways that positively influence everyone.”
Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh, exhaleyogasa.net (055 541 7550).
Healing Tent
Using techniques she learned from specialists in California, India and the O&O academy of Philosophy and Medication, Lani Monroy runs regular outdoor and tent meditation classes with a focus on women-only sessions. The concept of ‘inner glow’ focuses on deepening students’ awareness of themselves and their surroundings and Lani’s lessons include learning breathing techniques, discovering the connection between beta waves and mind control, and discussing anxiety and how to manage stress control. With Lani’s experience as a life coach too, her classes are as empowering as they are meditative. Lani runs regular, one-off as well as weekly classes in Riyadh.
6 December, 7.30pm. Healing tent, 3884 Al Abtal, At Taawun, meetup.com/inner-glow-with-lani (050 520 5730).
Mindfulness Meditation
A slightly less obvious choice for those looking to apply meditation to their everyday lives, but this Meditation 101 course is the ideal place to start for beginners who want to find out how meditation can change their lives for the better and be taken through an interactive session. This instructor-led course will show you how to apply the art of meditation in order to achieve personal growth – or so they say. By the end of the course you will understand the basics of meditation. On top of that, you will reduce stress, increase calmness, contentment and concentration, as you will also learn to focus your mind.
December 22-23. Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers (66 11 454 3300).
To the Moon
The Breathing Class with Dr Rasha is a hit. Set in the prettiest of studios that you’ll want to visit time and time again– think paired back interiors, neutral tones, natural furnishings, also known as the perfect setting to wind down. The founders say the studio was born out of a lack of places for people to learn about the benefits of doing such mindful pursuits and wanting to provide a space to discover the physical, psychological and intellectual benefits to yoga and meditation. To be honest, just looking at the space makes us feel a whole lot more zen.
Every Wednesday 8.45pm-9.30pm. King Abdullah District, studio-to-the-moon.sa (050 047 8699).
Soul Warrior Studios
If chanting mantras is your thing then the Kundalini Yoga class at Soul Warrior Studio is the one for you. If you don’t already know, Kundalini is a form of divine feminine energy found at the base of the spine and believed to be a power associated with the concept of the goddess. A mix of both spiritual and physical exercises, the class incorporates dynamic breathing techniques with meditation and chantras such as ‘sat num’ meaning ‘truth is my destiny’. Its other classes are a big more high-octane (winged aerial yoga, anyone?) but Soul Warriors is one of the most lauded spaces in Riyadh if you’re looking to combine personal, spiritual and physical growth. Booking is easy too, just WhatsApp the team and they’ll let you know timings of its meditation classes in Riyadh.
Prince Saud Ibn Abdullah Ibn Jalawi, soulwarriorstudio.com (053 314 6622).
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