Give a 'pet' twist to practise yoga in Dubai

The downward dog may be one of the most well-known yoga poses out there, but pet-loving yoga enthusiasts in Dubai can now bring their own dogs along to a class here.

Granted, these furry friends won't be sitting alongside their owners re-enacting the warrior pose or the headstand, but they'll be fed and watered by the staff at Zoga, as the humans sweat it out inside the studio.

Located in the heart of Downtown Dubai, Kamelia Salimi founded the pet-friendly Zoga yoga café, and it's a quirky concept that brings a "fresh new twist to your yoga life".

Fancy a free yoga class?

For World International Yoga Day, Zoga will host a free yoga class at 8.30pm today. So whether you have a furry friend in tow or not, why not book your session (limited spaces are available)? And with free treats for all doggies, your four-legged friend won't be disappointed.

Where: G floor, Southridge 6, Downtown Dubai

More than just a studio, this is a dog-friendly meet up, which lets owners and dogs refresh their "mind, body and soul" - but don't be mistaken, this isn't a doga (dog yoga) class.

"Due to the municipality rules, we cannot have dogs inside the studio but we do, in a sense, babysit the dogs while their owners are inside. We love playing with them," Salimi told Khaleej Times.

With a water bowl stationed at the entrance and a little jar full of free doggie treats at the coffee counter inside, Kamelia said she set the place up because Dubai has a real "dog loving community". "It's all the things I love - a pet-friendly yoga retreat, with a health café to chill out in. I set it up from the heart."

A dog lover herself, Kamelia has been in Dubai for nine years. When she first landed she worked in construction, but with a love for animals and yoga, she decided to follow her dream and set up Zoga.

"They say yoga is for everyone and I believe it really is. When I first started out, I was so stiff but now it has made me become a calm and passive person. The dog-friendly element here just adds to that."

But will doga ever make it into the studio? Well, it kind of already has, she said.

"We haven't officially launched doga but we have a free community event once a month where people come with their dogs. We go to the South Ridge public park just around the corner and do yoga with our dogs. And some of them, as you can imagine, get into better positions than us."

Source: .khaleej Times