Joumana was first introduced to yoga while attending university in Montreal, Canada. Her first experience was an Ashtanga Vinyasa class at Sattva Yoga Shala. She studied with senior Ashtanga Yoga teacher Mark Darby, one of the very few people worldwide to have attained the highest level of yoga teaching accreditation.
Joumana was initially attracted to the physical practice of Ashtanga yoga. As her fascination with this dynamic style grew, so did her curiosity for the philosophy of yoga. Joumana’s dedication to the method helped her realize that yoga is more than just a physical exercise, but a lifestyle practiced on and off the mat. After moving back to Dubai in 2010, Joumana completed her teacher training course and started teaching all over the city. In 2012, she took her first trip to Mysore, India, to practice at KPJAYI with R. Sharath Jois, grandson of the late master of Ashtanga Yoga, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Earlier this year, Joumana founded the Yoga Room in JLT, home of Ashtanga Yoga in Dubai, where she teaches and continues to practice daily. Drawing from her travels, experiences and teachers, Joumana wishes to share her knowledge and passion for the true and traditional Ashtanga practice.
Ashtanga BasicsThis class will offer an in-depth look at the fundamentals that make up Ashtanga yoga. Beginners and new practitioners can benefit from 'learning by doing' in a welcoming environment with valuable insight into how this style of yoga works. Here we will look at the powerful combination of breath, alignment and gaze (referred to as the Tristana method) and see first hand how this can bring a whole new meaning and dynamic to the postures we do. This will allow students to move forward safely from a place of strength, confidence and enjoyment in their own individual practice!
Charity Event YSTYoga Stops Traffick is a one-day, worldwide community yoga event run by volunteers to raise awareness about human trafficking and much needed money to support its victims. Last year, the funds raised helped provide a roof over the heads of 95 children at Odanadi Seva Trust rehabilitation centers. Yoga Stops Traffick participants helped pay for food, electricity, running water and contributed to the salaries of 22 social workers, psychotherapists, administrative and education staff.
For the fourth year in a row, the Yoga Room is hosting a sponsored yoga event in aid of Indian anti-trafficking charity, Odanadi. The aim is to raise awareness and financial support for Odanadi, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates victims of human trafficking.
Volunteers will lead you through the practice of 108 sun salutations. The event is open to everyone with or without yoga experience, so bring your friends and family! Don't worry about completing 108 sun salutations - you can practice as many as you can! The purpose of YST is to unite people across the globe in support of Odanadi and to spread awareness about human trafficking.
This is a charity event, and donations are welcome. 100% of the profits raised will go directly to Odanadi to help prevent human trafficking in India and rescue its victims. The suggested donation is AED 80. We thank you in advance for your donations. Make a difference. All you need is your yoga mat.
Led Full PrimaryThe Primary series, also known as yoga chikitsa, is a sequence of forward folds, side twists, back bends and inversions - a complete practice! In this class, students are guided through the Primary series in a steady and synchronized pace. The teacher "leads" the class through the sequence of postures and counts out each breath-synchronized movement in Sanskrit so that practitioners can follow the movement patterns precisely and collectively. Ashtanga yoga practitioners of all levels are welcome to join this class provided they have been attending Mysore classes regularly for some period of time. New students are not recommended to join this class if they have little to no experience in the practice of Ashtanga yoga as it might be fast-paced and challenging. Unlike Mysore-Style, timings for Led classes are fixed and run for 90 minutes. Start time is puntual (10:00am on Fridays), so students attending must arrive 10 to 15 minutes prior to start time.
Led Half PrimaryThis guided class offers a deeper exploration of the Primary series in Ashtanga yoga, a set sequence of asanas (yoga postures) designed to build strength and flexibility over time with dedicated practice. We will take a journey through some of the more challenging postures of the Primary Series and how this can create a foundation for a more advanced practice in the future.
Prepare to sweat as this practice is known to build internal heat! Ashtanga II is a great chance to take your practice to the next level and build stamina by working through the dynamic sequence of postures. As we flow through a progressive series of postures, you will find this class is a perfect balance between movement and meditation by providing a gateway to a quiet and steady mind through the physical experience of yoga.
Mysore-StyleThe Mysore-style setting is the most effective way of learning and practicing Ashtanga yoga. The class is named after the city in South India (Mysore), where Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught and passed on the knowledge of yoga. It is a traditional method where students of all levels, beginners and experienced, are welcome to join the collective energy in the practice room. Students take individual responsibility of their yoga practice by flowing at their own pace, in their own time and with the rhythm of their own breath.
Mysore-style is not a group led class. It is a safe environment in which students receive individual attention from the teacher and are assisted in postures when necessary. This helps practitioners to accomplish each posture in their own time and at their own level while memorizing the sequence of postures in the correct order. This in turn makes the practice a moving meditation of sorts where students go inwards without any distractions. Mysore classes do not have a punctual start time. These classes often run anywhere between two to three hours. Therefore, you can walk in and begin your practice within the time frame of a Mysore class.
Mysore is often misunderstood as a class only for advanced students. This couldn't be further from the truth. Mysore classes are open to all levels, even if a student is not experienced or does not know the sequence by heart. All instruction is tailored to the student’s individual needs. Students can build up on what they learned before, and progress onto more advanced postures once ready.
RestorativeAllow your mind and body to relax, heal and restore. Restorative and Therapeutics Yoga is suitable for anyone and everyone, irrelevant of yoga experience. This class is ideal for those who have a strong asana practice as well as for athletes and those suffering from physical pain, or a stressful lifestyle. A restorative practice will bring awareness to the connection between the body and the mind.
This class will help you explore how yoga poses can bring your body back into neutral alignment in order to prevent injuries, address the root imbalances of chronic pain, alleviate any kind of pain, and restore the physical and subtle energies of the body through biomechanical alignment principles, weight bearing exercises, functional movements, breathwork, and restorative poses. Props such as blocks, bolsters, blankets, and essential oils will be used. Poses will be held for a lengthy duration and are practiced repetitively to allow the body to imprint a healthy memory pattern and eliminate harmful ones. Complete yoga beginners welcome!
