Enlighten Yoga Center | Oud Metha
What does Yoga mean to you? Is it the asanas, the meditation, the fat loss, or something more? Of late, Yoga has got a slightly incorrect rep for being one of the many ways to lose weight. Especially in this part of the world, where life is so fast paced, the meaning of yoga has been condensed to merely attending a 45 minute class a few times a week, and bouncing back to your regular lifestyle once you are done with it.
Enlighten Yoga Center, in a manner that’s very “true to its name”, enlightened us with the true essence of this art, and showed us the original form of the age-old discipline of Ashtanga yoga. Offering Pratimoksha – The Yoga Beyond Just Asanas, Enlighten Yoga Center goes beyond the limitations of sessions or classes and instead focuses on making yoga a part of your lifestyle. It takes you on a journey of integrating your body with your mind through yoga. This means that it’s not just about getting more flexible or losing fat (in fact it’s okay if you have zero flexibility), but you come out feeling lighter, healed and transformed – both mentally and physically.
Located in Oud Metha, very close to Lamcy Plaza, the yoga center features sunlit yoga studios, filled with an aura of peace and tranquility. As soon as you step in, you are asked to leave your shoes behind, allowing your feet to feel free from the locks of daily life. We meet Lalitha Viswanath who is a Yoga Acharya and Manual Osteopathic Practitioner with more than 17 years of teaching experience. She has taken her Teacher Training Course (TTC) and Advanced Teacher Training Course (ATTC) from the Shivananda Ashram in Kerala India. She explains us the roots of Yoga as a science and an art and tells us how at Enlighten Yoga Center, they follow the principles of true yogic journey, and work over a period of 6 months to completely transform your lifestyle as per the yamas and niyamas of yoga. “The yoga sessions here are not designed as walk-in classes. There are many places out there who offer that. We, on the other hand, work towards integrating yoga as a part of your lifestyle through theory and practicals,” says Lalitha.
Their yoga courses are unique, infusing practical Ayurvedic science and the healing touch of osteopathic & Pranic healing practices. They have been crafted to include all 8 branches that together make up yoga. Their SIGNATURE program – Asana & Beyond is considered the #bestyogacourse, as it goes beyond the individual branch of Asanas, which is merely the physical aspect of Yoga, and instead encompasses all aspects of one’s life. The ultimate goal of Ashtanga Yoga is a vision of equanimity and this can only be achieved step by step, passing through all 8 branches of the discipline. Their course is enriched through their study, knowledge and understanding of Ayurveda, Physiotherapy, Osteopathy and Pranic healing – designed to help you achieve a transformation from the inside-out. Spanning over a duration of 6 months, this is their main program, but they also offer shorter courses like one-on-one ante-natal and post-natal sessions, teen courses and gentle yoga for seniors. In addition this, they also run RYT 500 Teacher Training Course and RYT200 Teacher Training Course for those who want to learn how to teach yoga.
Each Asana & Beyond yoga session at Enlighten Yoga Center is a combination of a lecture that teaches the yogis on how they can marry this art into their lifestyle – through the food they eat, their habits, etc., and is alternated with asanas that helps them work their physical bodies into a yogic state. Their classes are limited to a group of 6 people, which allows them to customize the yoga therapy for each individual within the class. Lalitha tells us how each body is different and even though each of those 6 people are a part of same group, they might be at different levels in terms of their yogic abilities. The small groups help them give individual attention and make sure they are only pushing their clients as far as their bodies will let them. She adds, “everyone’s journey is different, but we see to it that every class is designed to transform both your body and mind and take it towards the true essence of yoga”. And this is why she is confident that the yogis who complete this 6 month ‘journey’ do not need to come back for more classes. They leave fully educated and capable of maintaining their yogic lifestyle on their own.
Being an osteopath, one of Lalitha’s main focus is on healing people who have chronic joint issues through yoga. Every time a person with a difficult case walks in, her team takes it as a challenge, and ensures they walk out with a new life based on the principles of yoga. She proudly tells us how one of their clients, suffering from arthritis in the knees, had come in on a wheelchair, but within a few weeks she left confidently marching on her way out!
While Lalitha is the head teacher and the brains behind all their programs and the holistic way in which they are taught, she is supported by Neelam Raturi, who has done her Masters in Yoga Science and Human Consciousness, and Tia Sharma, who has done her M.Sc in Applied Yoga and Human Science.
What you should know:
Name: Enlighten Yoga Center
Head Yoga Acharya: Lalitha Viswanath
Yoga therapies: Asana & Beyond, Ante-natal and Post-natal sessions, Teen/Youth Yoga, Gentle Yoga for seniors
Other therapies: Manual Osteopathy, Pranic healing
Teacher training courses: RYT 500 Teacher Training Course, RYT200 Teacher Training Course
Prices: Contact Enlighten Yoga Center for details
Location: Oud Metha, near Lamcy Plaza (Find it on Google Maps)
Contact: +971 56 409 8195
Email: info@pratimoksha.com
