Dubai parks to open early for Yoga, Tai Chi

DUBAI: Yoga enthusiasts, joggers and other fitness freaks in Dubai have been allowed early morning access to parks and other facilities without an entry fee.

"We understand the need to encourage physical activities such as yoga, Tai Chi, and Art of Living for example," said Mohammed Al Fardan, the head of Parks at the Parks and Horticulture Department of the Dubai Municipality.

Fardan was addressing a press conference here to announce the first International Yoga Day celebrations to be hosted by the city municipality on June 12, the report said.

However, this doesn't mean everybody can come before the park is open.

"We don't want families coming for picnic and barbeques and queueing up with kids to avoid the fee by entering the park before 8 am," Fardan was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

"Parks have the best environment for activities that help residents improve their health. People want to do these exercises earlier in the morning before the parks open at 8 am. So, we are allowing them to enter the park if they wish to come early morning even before the parks are technically open. We are not charging them the entry fee also," he said.

It was earlier necessary to take special permission from the municipality to exercise or perform yoga at the parks with certain conditions.

In 2012, the then director of the Parks and Horticulture Department had said that people should take special permission from the department to exercise or perform yoga at the parks.

Guruji KB Madhavan, founder of Friends of Yoga that has partnered with the Dubai Municipality to host the International Yoga Day event, said the new decision is very helpful specially because early morning is the perfect time for doing yoga and other fitness activities.