DUBAI // Meditation master Winnie Rode is offering residents a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of life in the UAE during a series of workshops in Dubai.
The German, who has taught Buddhist philosophy and meditation for more than 20 years and has written three books on Tibet, Bhutan and traditional Tibetan medicine, will use Tibetan singing bowls at the events at Talise Spa at Madinat Jumeirah.
The bowls are used to help alleviate stress, burnout, insomnia, joint and muscle pain, tinnitus, depression, and anger, although he admits they are something of a new concept for Dubai.
“It’s challenging because people don’t know about these treatments. The problem here is most people want to be touched for their healing, to have massage, they don’t know about sound healing which has become very popular in Europe.
“Through rebalancing the brainwaves, we can produce more of the positive brain waves that get reduced through stress. Ninety-five per cent of illness is caused by stress, emotional or physical.”
Mr Rode believes treatments such as singing bowls and meditation would be beneficial to people living in the Emirates.
“I feel there is a lot of artificial happiness here and a lot of disharmony,” he said. “Now it’s maybe the time for people to come and find some peace and real happiness. It calms down the mind. The most disturbing energy in us is the mind, which people have no control of.
“Meditation trains the mind, which is lazy, and helps control these fluctuations, but it takes practice. We know when people meditate, they produce more alpha brainwaves, which reduce stress.”
Michael Ampog, a yoga teacher in Dubai, has attended a workshop with Mr Rode and plans to attend more this weekend.
“It’s beneficial to everyone to meditate,” the Filipino said. “I’ve been teaching yoga for two years and it’s only really now that people are becoming more open to trying meditation. It will become more popular as more people try it and realise the benefits. Doing it with someone like Winnie is so beneficial for me as a teacher. You can take what he teaches into your own classes.”
Sarah Bladen, a Zen meditation teacher, has seen an increase in the demand for forms of meditation and yoga.
“Most of us are here for work opportunities and many of us are suffering from a constant, low level of stress due to pressurised, stressful workloads.
“Learning to meditate gives you techniques that help you to dissolve stressful situations. In life, we experience constant ups and downs, like the waves of an ocean.”
For more information on the schedule of group classes and for individual bookings visit www.jumeirah.com.
mswan@thenational.ae
