Fitness and Health: The Active Traveller in association with Citibank

Kara Martin 11:18 08/06/2017
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  • The great thing about practising yoga is that you can pretty much do it anywhere – just roll up your mat and go. And if you have as bad a case of wanderlust as Yogi Lina Zoghaib does, then your yoga mat has probably already racked up some serious miles.

    After discovering yoga eight years ago, the Yogi Truck founder has taken her practice on the road to share the beauty of meditation and travel with the Dubai masses.

    “I discovered yoga in 2009 through a friend of mine. I was going through a very rough time back then and she asked me to join her for a class. I loved it, so I started travelling to learn from different yoga schools – Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bali, India – and in 2014 I quit my job altogether and got certified as a yoga teacher,” says Zoghaib.

    IMPORTANT DETAILS

    • WHAT: www.yogitruck.com
    • WHERE: Various
    • VERDICT: The perfect way to reconnect with both body and soul.

    “Through lots of meditation and practice, I really developed such a clear mind, ideas were flowing, and that’s how Yogi Truck came to me,” she says. “I love travelling and I love yoga so I wanted to combine both.

    “It started with a simple page on Facebook where I’d post wherever it was I was going to be that day offering community classes. Very often this was on the beach (Jumeirah Public Beach) and my little community has been slowly growing ever since.”

    Journey of discovery: Yogi Truck founder Lina Zoghaib.

    Journey of discovery: Yogi Truck founder Lina Zoghaib.

    Yogi Truck has come a long way from the beach and today combines asana with an array of exciting outdoor activities to be found across the UAE and beyond as well. All her meetups are geared towards introducing the average Joe and Jane to yoga culture and so all ages and levels are welcome.

    “I love showing people another side of life, and my weekend retreats have included things like hiking and camping, cycling, we might have a bit of a barbecue, maybe do some canyoning…,” shares Zoghaib, who also teaches in traditional studio settings, such as Dubai’s 136.1 centre (in case you were looking for something a little more low-key).

    “I love taking people out to other emirates like Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, as well as to Oman; they’re so full of nature. And I definitely plan to explore Abu Dhabi and Al Ain more this year, too.”

    Desert life: Zoghaib encourages people to explore the

    Desert life: Zoghaib encourages people to explore.

    Occasionally, Yogi Truck does spread its wings to take people on retreats further afield too, and she recently led a spiritual staycation in Dharamsala, India, home to the Dalai Lama.

    “There we did daily hikes, explored local food, yoga and sunset meditation. It was really fascinating. I can’t wait to do more of these.

    “I find that in the UAE, people tend to stick to the malls, clubs and restaurants. The aim of Yogi Truck is just to get more people off of their couches and out of their comfort zone.”

    www.yogitruck.com

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