As parties and brunches are off the table, UAE residents are looking to enhance their well-being.
Here are six surefire ways to do just that over the next couple of months.
Meet Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Zoom
Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will conduct an online masterclass for Middle East residents titled Way Forward 2021.
Organised by Art of Living institute, which Shankar founded in 1981, the workshop will take place on Friday, February 12, from 5pm to 7pm, through Zoom, and will delve into meditation while providing insight and knowledge to help participants deal with the changes and tackle the challenges that the year may yet bring.
Priced at $50. For more information, email 800aol@artoflivingme.org
Sign up for a transformation challenge with Bare Dubai
Struggling to stay true to those 2021 fitness resolutions? Bare Dubai has a transformation challenge that aims to help participants become the “strongest, fittest, most fabulous versions” of themselves.
The final date to sign up for the month-long competition is Friday, February 12, and it costs Dh1,200.
Participants will be guided through intense workouts and given a customised nutrition plan. They will be expected to attend three workout sessions a week, attend a weigh-in meeting every Friday morning, follow the meal plan, commit to the maintenance plan and join The Challenge group chat.
Once the main challenge has finished, there will be two more months of “maintenance”. At the end, four winners will be announced in the men's and women's categories, for most weight lost and most improved body composition, with prizes up for grabs.
More information is at bare.fitness
Sign up for a bodybuilding competition in Ajman
The Ajman Tourism Development Department will host a bodybuilding and physique competition, in partnership with the Emirates Bodybuilding Federation.
The competition is now accepting registrations via the Eventor app, with the men’s competition taking place at Ajman Cultural Centre on Friday and Saturday, March 19 and 20, and the women’s competition at Bianky Beach Camp on Saturday, March 20.
Open for Emiratis, residents and visitors, the competition includes categories such as Physique, Classic Physique, Muscular Physique and Body Style, for different age groups, with total prizes worth more than Dh100,000 ($27,229).
Book a rolfing session at Seva Experience
Those dealing with postural issues or chronic pain can find relief at the hands of certified rolfer Andrew Rosenstock, who will host sessions at Seva Experience in February and March.
Based on the philosophy of Ida Rolf, rolfing is a deep massage delivered through “10 hands-on physical manipulation sessions called The Recipe”, with each session focusing on a specific area of the body.
The holistic practice focuses on the connective tissue or fascia, to restore postural balance and ease movement, and it is used to help with chronic stiffness and compression from injury or surgery.
A single session is priced at Dh900, while 10 sessions go for Dh8,100.
Bookings can be made by contacting 055 342 899 or info@sevaexperience
Neha Bali launches online classes and courses in the UAE
Holistic healing practitioner Neha Bali is bringing her expertise to the UAE. Residents looking for alternative ways to manage their mental and physical health can take advantage of a series of therapy sessions and courses that delve into meditation, theta healing, family constellation and EFT (emotional freedom technique). Corporate classes are also available.
The sessions are all available online, with prices starting at Dh300.
“I want to spread the message of wellness,” says Bali. “Adopting and learning holistic healing methods equips you with skills that help you navigate life with ease and a vision.”
Bali offers an initial free 20-minute consultation to understand a client's requirements and tailor-make their therapy sessions.
More information is at nehabali.com
Real Pilates opens a third branch
Real Pilates has opened its third location in Dubai at the newly launched Meydan Heights Retail Centre in Nad Al Sheba.
The new studio offers up to four classes daily – two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Guests can choose between two versions of mat workouts, including Pilates core, which strengthens and stabilises the core; and Pilates SQ, which adds exercises that strengthen the back, arms and legs, and incorporates equipment such as resistance rings and toning balls.
Other equipment-based Pilates comes by way of Reformer Core, where you utilise the pulley system of a Reformer machine to tone muscles and strengthen the core.
The studio will also offer hatha and vinyasa flow yoga sessions.
More information is at real-pilates.com
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
More on Quran memorisation:
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
