Last Friday morning Kara from the local newspaper Sport 360 joined us for Kayoga and wrote a great article about her experience....
GOING OUT: IT'S KAYOGA TIME IN ABU DHABI
Jan 10, 2012 0
by Kara Martin
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Early risers: Noukhada’s Kayoga begins at 8am on Fridays.
If by chance you have equal parts with love for kayaking and yoga, there’s now a meet-up in Abu Dhabi tailored especially for you. You’ll have to get out of bed bright and early on a Friday to do it, though. Last weekend, I opted to forego my Thursday night out to take on my first Kayoga session.
Kayoga is one of the latest ventures by Abu Dhabi’s most famed eco-tour operator Noukhada in partnership with Anaadi Yoga founder Neli.
With a menu that boasts everything from island and mangrove tours to kayaking, kayak fishing, sailing and even cycling and blokarting (a completely wind-powered way to whip around the track), the emphasis with Noukhada seems to be on experiencing the great outdoors and a good clean adventure without exploiting the environment. And that I love.
Not so much the 7.45am meet-up time down a dirt road to the Mangroves just off Salam St., but the minute I joined the surprisingly large and chattering gathering and grabbed a paddle and life jacket, I’d got over it and was ready to have some fun. The cool breeze and the sight of the placid and peaceful water certainly helped too.
Our Kayoga session started with a group stretch aimed at balancing and aligning the body posture, coupled with short Pranayama (breathing) exercises. This helped to loosen up the stiffness around the neck and shoulders and prepare the arms and core for some paddling and balancing in the kayak.
Then, it was into the waiting kayaks for a 20-minute paddle through the lush Mangroves.
If you’re lucky, along the way you should see hungry gulls, scuttling crabs, sea eagles, and even curious foxes, to name a few protected species, but save for one elegantly slender egret, I guess they were all asleep at that time or in hiding.
We parked up at a small sand and mud opening in the thick bushes and wandered into the unknown with our yoga mats until we came to a convenient little clearing and set up for our one hour Hatha yoga session in the great outdoors.
Sun-kissed and breathing deep of the pure and highly oxygenated air, Neli guided our small group through a series of beginner-to-intermediate-level asanas (or postures) such as The Chair and other balancing postures, Cobra and Warrior I, II, and III coupled with Pranayama and to end off, a bit of meditation in Corpse Pose, which was slightly interrupted by a group of bellowing teenagers in kayaks some way off (but who’s to say a bit of a giggle isn’t welcome in your mood-lifting yoga practice?)
The best bit? Doing leg raisers while flat on our backs, because throwing our toes up and seeing nothing above but a vast blue sky, which seemed to belong to us alone for a day, to me that drew the perfect picture of bliss.
The hard part, however, was then having to shake ourselves out of our deep relaxation to drag the kayaks back out again for the 20-minute leg home. Still, I can’t think of a more refreshing start to the morning.
The Verdict: Meet you on the Mangroves for fun, fitness and plenty of fresh air.
What: Kayoga.
When: Fridays at 8am.
Where: Just off Salam St near the Substation and Angsana resort. Full location details can be found on the Noukhada website.
Price: Dh170, inclusive of all equipment.
Contact: info@noukhada.ae or call 02 650 3600 or 050 721 8928.
If by chance you have equal parts with love for kayaking and yoga, there’s now a meet-up in Abu Dhabi tailored especially for you. You’ll have to get out of bed bright and early on a Friday to do it, though. Last weekend, I opted to forego my Thursday night out to take on my first Kayoga session.
Kayoga is one of the latest ventures by Abu Dhabi’s most famed eco-tour operator Noukhada in partnership with Anaadi Yoga founder Neli.
With a menu that boasts everything from island and mangrove tours to kayaking, kayak fishing, sailing and even cycling and blokarting (a completely wind-powered way to whip around the track), the emphasis with Noukhada seems to be on experiencing the great outdoors and a good clean adventure without exploiting the environment. And that I love.
Not so much the 7.45am meet-up time down a dirt road to the Mangroves just off Salam St., but the minute I joined the surprisingly large and chattering gathering and grabbed a paddle and life jacket, I’d got over it and was ready to have some fun. The cool breeze and the sight of the placid and peaceful water certainly helped too.
Our Kayoga session started with a group stretch aimed at balancing and aligning the body posture, coupled with short Pranayama (breathing) exercises. This helped to loosen up the stiffness around the neck and shoulders and prepare the arms and core for some paddling and balancing in the kayak.
Then, it was into the waiting kayaks for a 20-minute paddle through the lush Mangroves.
If you’re lucky, along the way you should see hungry gulls, scuttling crabs, sea eagles, and even curious foxes, to name a few protected species, but save for one elegantly slender egret, I guess they were all asleep at that time or in hiding.
We parked up at a small sand and mud opening in the thick bushes and wandered into the unknown with our yoga mats until we came to a convenient little clearing and set up for our one hour Hatha yoga session in the great outdoors.
Sun-kissed and breathing deep of the pure and highly oxygenated air, Neli guided our small group through a series of beginner-to-intermediate-level asanas (or postures) such as The Chair and other balancing postures, Cobra and Warrior I, II, and III coupled with Pranayama and to end off, a bit of meditation in Corpse Pose, which was slightly interrupted by a group of bellowing teenagers in kayaks some way off (but who’s to say a bit of a giggle isn’t welcome in your mood-lifting yoga practice?)
The best bit? Doing leg raisers while flat on our backs, because throwing our toes up and seeing nothing above but a vast blue sky, which seemed to belong to us alone for a day, to me that drew the perfect picture of bliss.
The hard part, however, was then having to shake ourselves out of our deep relaxation to drag the kayaks back out again for the 20-minute leg home. Still, I can’t think of a more refreshing start to the morning.
The Verdict: Meet you on the Mangroves for fun, fitness and plenty of fresh air.
What: Kayoga.
When: Fridays at 8am.
Where: Just off Salam St near the Substation and Angsana resort. Full location details can be found on the Noukhada website.
Price: Dh170, inclusive of all equipment.
Contact: info@noukhada.ae or call 02 650 3600 or 050 721 8928.
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