Yoga Classes

I have written about Yoga Classes before. This is another option from an Indian who is currently in Cairo.

Chirag can be contacted by mail on drchirayuthakkar @ gmail . com (without the spaces of course) or by phone on +201 6063 7001

Dearest Cairo Yogis,

I took some time off to check on the trends and costs of Yoga and Alternative Medicine services in Cairo, that's why the silence.

Before we come to our interests, something about me… I am an Indian National. My study at the University was Yoga and Alternative Medicine,which is a 5 years Medical Course. After the University I joined work in my hometown, Baroda, in a Natural Healing (Naturopathy) hospital.

After which I was employed in Libya with a corporate sector MNC, where the job profile was to work towards stress, health and fitness of the employees.

Also was associated with Yoga in sports for one of the national teams of Libya.

Another good break brings me back to Africa. Here in Cairo employed with a govt. authority in the Heatlh and Sports sector.

Coming to our discussion. (FAQ)

1. What kind of doctor are you? Do you provide consultations and counseling?

I am a doctor of Alternative medicine and Yoga. Yes I do provide both consultations and counseling.

2. What kind of yoga do you practice?

I practice Ashtanga Yoga and Hatha Yoga majorly. Also keep knowledge of other schools of yoga like

Bikram Yoga(Hot Yoga), Iyengar Yoga etc. and various streams of yoga.

3. What is the base of Alternative medicine & what alternative therapies do you offer?

The main approach and base of Alternative medicine (& yoga) is Holistic healing.

The major Alternative therapies I offer are…

Acupuncture

Acupressure

Therapeutic Massage (for relaxation and for healing)

Reflexology

Hydrotherapy (depends on availability of required equipments)

Fasting Therapy (counseling and guidance)

There are other therapies but they require a setup. I have mentioned the ones which are on offer.

4. I am interested in both Yoga and Alternative therapies. Do I come to you or you will come to me?

I will come to you. My stay in Cairo is at a hotel, which is not an ideal place to have yoga or alternative therapies.

5. I am interested in small Group Yoga. Where can I come?

One option is, if some of you are willing to host the group sessions at your place. If so, then we shall collect people of the same area or the near by areas into one group.

Second option, by and by I am searching for a place / room for conducting group yoga.

6. How many people would you consider in a small group?

Four. Maximum five (4-5 people per session)

7. I am interested in Yoga and so is my Wife/Husband. We do not want group yoga. What can another option be?

Private session for couples is your answer. Privacy and personal attention are maintained.

8. What are your charges for Yoga?

Small Group Yoga (per session per head) LE 60 (Students pay LE 45)

Private (one-on-one) LE 250 (Students pay LE 200)

Private (for Couples) LE 400 (2X200)

9. What are your charges for Alternative Therapies?

Acupuncture LE 100 per session (Students pay LE 80)

Massage

Full Body Oil massage LE 250 (Students pay 225)

Full Body Yoga Massage LE 250 (Students pay 225)

Head and Back massage LE 150 (Students pay 130)

Head and Face Massage LE 100 (Students pay 80)

Feet and and Hands Massage LE 100 (Studetns pay 80)

Therapeutic Massage (for aches and pains) (depends on the need)

Hydrotherapy

(depends on the need)

Fasting Therapy Counseling/Guidance

(depends on the need)

NOTE

: Charges for these Massages are based PER SESSION & not on the time/duration of the therapy.

10. I am interested in Yoga. I am a student studying here. Usually I run tight on my budget and may not be able to afford your sessions. What do you suggest?

If your interest is genuine, then rest assured, there always is a way out. We can discuss and come to a mutual agreement.

Cairo Yogis…Now comes an important part... This is for everyone…

Do not hesitate to speak your mind. Do not hesitate to discuss.

At anytime if you have the costs of yoga and alternative therapies stopping you from having them, please feel free to discuss in person or on email.

There is always a way out. There always is a solution, we just need to try. Do not worry… we will not let your genuine interest drown. :O)

I suggest that you mail me.

In Subject type what you'd be interested in (Eg. YOGA - Private one-on-one OR Private Couple OR Group Yoga OR Massage OR Acupuncture OR the combinations)

In body of the mail write your full name, the address and specially the area so that later on it's easy to place you in a particular group in or around your area. Also do mention if you have previous experience in Yoga and a little about it so that we can have groups likewise. Further write something about yourself

That is all for now.
Hope to see you soon in Cairo.
Good Wind.
God Bless.
Chirayu.

Villa Grey Cultural Center

Villa Grey
24, Abdallah al Kateb Street
Between Midan Fini and El Nil Street
Dokki 12311

+2 02 3338 2184

Villa Grey is the latest location on the Cairo scene to host photography/painting exhibitions and screen interesting off beat movies that do not normally make it to the regular cinema halls.

This center was opened under the auspices of Grey worldwide and Gerard Avdessian, their Managing Director in Egypt.

Gerard studied theater in the Soviet Union and has directed, produced and written plays in Lebanon for several years, a parallel with his almost 40 years in the advertising business. He came to Cairo in April 2007 to head up Villa Grey and to realize, as he puts it, the “dream child” of Grey’s director in Lebanon, Philip Skaff, the “madman” behind the beloved community arts project.

“The idea behind this is to create a social link between the agency and the city of Cairo, the people of Cairo. It is non-profit because I don’t think it is our calling to make any money out of this. Once we cover our expenses, whether from sponsors or from sales of art, all the rest is cashed by the artist himself. We don’t charge a commission, la’a. We’re not an art gallery. We just have this non-profit movement within the agency and in the garden, and we open our doors to talented people, whether young or old.”

This talent will come from the visual arts — including painting, graphic design, sculpture and installation, photography and fashion, performing arts, music concerts, poetry, script readings, film screenings — and whatever else shows up on the marble steps to inspire Monsieur Avedissian and his team.

(Italicised extract from Egypt Today, December 2007)

We had the chance to visit the Villa a couple of weeks ago and check out "Oum el Dounia" - a photo exhibit by Dr. El-Sayed M. El-Sayed. Dr Sayed retired in 2005 and took the opportunity to develop his talent for photography. This is his first solo exhibition and the theme is Old Cairo and Egypt, its architectural heritage and its people.

We had gone for the Wednesday night movie screening that the Villa Grey holds, hoping to watch the Oscar winning German movie "The Lives of Others"

Unfortunately, the copy of the movie that they received that day, did not have English subtitles, so they could not screen it. They ended up showing Travolta's Hairspray so we left. (We had already watched the movie)

The viewing room is quite cosy and comfortable, so I'll definitely go back when they next show a movie that I want to watch.

To receive the schedule of Villa Grey movies and other events in Cairo, do send a blank mail to whazzupcairo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or whazzupcairo-subscribe@googlegroups.com

The Villa Grey building itself is worth a trip. Its a traditional old style Egyptian bungalow with lots of Mashrabiya work, beautifully inlaid doors, ornate ceiling and lovely flooring. Reminded me of the Eicher Consulting office in Bangalore for the use of an old building as an office space. This is one of the best kept old bungalows with access to the public that I have seen in Cairo.

CSA Library

The CSA Book Library has a membership fee of 120LE annually, after which you do not have to pay anything extra for the books that you borrow. You can pick up quite a few books for this membership fee and keep them for a week.

The Library operates from 9am to 8pm from Sun-Wed and 9am-5pm on Thursdays.

Supriya the librarian is quite helpful. The library is quite well stocked for a community library in Egypt. It has a good selection of books on Egypt and the Middle East, a large selection of children's books and pretty recent copies of magazines from the Americas and Europe.

There is also a book club which meets once a month on the premises.

There is also a movie library. Membership for this too is 120LE annually. Same timings as the book library. This library operates out of the Village Gift shop at the CSA.

Call them at 33585284 or 3358 for more details.

They are currently offering 2 free rentals on renewed and new memberships. They have an after hour drop off slot too, if you can't make it in time.

Current titles in stock are viewable by clicking here

The CSA is located at
Building 4, Road 21
Maadi, Cairo

BCA Library

The BCA in Mohandaseen and Heliopolis have a decent sized library of books at both locations.

Membership to the club automatically gives you membership to the book library. The library works on an honor system and depends on members donating books to the collection.

More details on other benefits of being a BCA member are here : http://whazzupegypt.blogspot.com/2007/07/bca-south-african-braii-night.html

There is also a Video (Casette and DVD) library at Mohandaseen which stocks the latest movies and tele series. BCA membership gives you automatic membership to the Video Library, but you have to pay 10LE rental per movie, which you can keep for a week.

The video library operates on certain days at fixed timings only. Contact the BCA for more details.

Yoga Classes in Cairo

As an Indian in Cairo, I am often asked about the whereabouts of yoga classes in the city.

The following is a list of places that I know offers yoga classes but as I have not personally attended any of them, I cannot recommend anyone against the other.

1. el Sawy Culture Wheel on 26th July Street, Zamalek has Yoga on tuesdays and Thursdays 6pm-7pm at the Word Hall. 012 440 0100, 736 8881 www.culturewheel.net

2. the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Center (Indian Cultural Centre) at 23, Talaat Harb Street runs yoga classes 4 days a week. There are 3 levels of courses and each one lasts about 3 months. Charges are very reasonable. +2 02 393 3396, macic[@]india-emb[.]org[.]eg

3. Studio 206 in Maadi sometimes has yoga sessions. from what I understand they are more of one person leading a group session, than classes per se. Call and check. Villa 18, Road 200, Degla, Maadi. +2 02 2519 5713 nohastudio[@]yahoo[.]com

4. Ananda Marga organises yoga classes in Heliopolis, Mohandaseen and Rehab City http://egyptyoga.info/

Yoga for women:
Mondays at 10:00 -11:30
Tuesdays at 18:30 -20:00
Thursdays at 10:00 -11:30

Yoga for children (age 8 up to 10)
-Saturday at 10:30

Yoga Classes in Heliopolis:
Tuesdays 19:30 - 21:00
Wednesdays 10:00 - 11:30

Yoga in Mohandaseen
Saturday 18:00-19:30

Please kindly register in advance tel. 016 1924763

5. Someone mentioned Studio 21 in Ard El Golf 010 477 7608

6. Heliopolis Sporting Club has classes conducted by 2 different instructors.
Yousri : Sunday, Monday and Wednesday Mornings from 9:30 to 10:30
A Lady : Saturday and Tuesday Evening from 19:30 to 20:30

7. Many clubs like Swiss club, Shams Club organise yoga classes depending on demand. If you are a member of a club, check with them if they offer classes.

8. Golds Gym and Samia Allouba offer yoga classes at some locations.

9. One of my friends in Heliopolis mentioned a Studio called Shake'N'Shape for women in Ard El Golf. The studio offers classes in fitness, abs, yoga, pilates, aerobics. She said they were pretty good and very affordable when she attended a couple of years back. The girl who owns the place is called Noha Hassam and her number is 0106281010.

Added this option on 26 Sep 08.

Swiss Club Cairo - Mohandaseen

Surprisingly for me, I started last Friday bright and early. There was a long agenda that I wanted to accomplish. First on the list was the Bedouin Exhibition at the Swiss Club Cairo in Mohandaseen.


The exhibition was 2.5 tables full, with overpriced Bedouin cross stitch clothes and accessories (you can get them at half price at locations like Fair Trade Egypt and the like) But this trip was worth it, as I finally visited the gem called the "Swiss Club Cairo"

Membership:
You can avail an annual family membership for 750LE or single membership for 500LE which gives you unlimited access to the club, discounted rates for hiring the grounds for a party and a few other things like a library and stuff.

If you aren't keen on an annual membership, you can just pay 10LE at the gate at every visit. You do not need a member to sign you in.

Why would you want to join:
Its vast garden is a green lung in the chaotic madness of Mohandaseen and Agouza.
There's a lovely children's play area with swings and tires and ropes and even a basic tree house.

Cars aren't allowed past the entry gate (there's plenty of parking in the outside compound) and so its safe to let the kids run around.
They have a decent restaurant which serves some varieties of Swiss German and some Egyptianised dishes.
Some alcohol is available for those lazy Friday afternoons when you want to sip beer and admire the 19th century villa on the premises.



Where is it Located:
Swiss Club Cairo
Villa Pax
90, El-Gihad Street,
Off Sudan Street,
Kit-Kat Squre
Imbaba,
Cairo
3314 2811, 3315 1455

Its normally open from 10am to 8pm. which gives you time to catch an evening walk but not really a morning walk. Members are a mix of Expats and locals. Membership makes sense for people with kids in Mohandaseen/Agouza who are looking for a safe green space for them to play


I loved the greenery, the sound of birds chirping (had almost forgotten what that sounded like), the ancient villa and the cute camel who was giving camel rides to the kids.

Dreamland Sports Club

Thanks to alli for gathering most of this info

Dreamland Sports club is a little beyond Dreamland Theme park.
The gate is between the Dreamland Mosque and the Hilton on the Oasis Al Wahat Road.
You have to be a member to use it although visitors are allowed accompanied with a member.

Membership is lifetime.
Cost is
19,500le single
23,000 couple no kids
36,000 family (all kids under 25)
It can be paid over 2 years with 2 equal sums for single and 3 years for couple and family.

For membership you will need to fill in a form in the big office as you enter the gates on your right. You need the deposit and 3 photos of each member. It takes a month to issue your id cards with picture on.

When you join you are given 10 free passes every year. Then if you need more you can buy ONE book of 10 passes for 50le and after that books of 10 for 100le. These passes can be used for visitors.

Facilities:
They have an Olympic size pool, children's fun pool and 2 small toddler pools, they are constructing one ladies only poolto be finished by December 2007.
All pools are 5 star hotel like with tables and chairs and guards.
Food is available poolside.
There are 2 lots of dressing rooms with lockers, showers, and toilets with cubicles for changing, take you own soap, shampoo and toilet paper.

I saw yellow hotel towels and maybe they are available too?
There is a fast food restaurant and a barbecue in the evenings, a golf pro shop and ice cream shop.
It is well laid out in beautiful gardens.
It has many courts, basketball, football (lit) croquet, a 700 meter trim walk, gymnasium.
The gym and swimming are free, courts have to be booked, trim walk is free.
They run karate etc and they are paid.

The gymnasium is mixed but the ladies have 3 sessions a week purely for ladies 5-7 evening.
They have all types of equipment, 3 running machines, stairmaster, weight machines, Cybex, loose weight etc.
All air conditioned.
There are showers and lockers.

There is also a spa and sauna for I think 10le a session.

Rules say swimcaps must be worn, and no teeshirts or outdoor clothes in pool although many folk did not wear swimcaps and lots wore teeshirts in the pool in the heat.
Water is crystal and grounds are manicured, changing rooms are spotless.

It opens at 8am till very late but pool closes at sunset. It has plenty of nice places to sit, parasols to sit under, outdoor tables and chairs dotted around. It is not busy, with screaming kids except Fridays and Saturdays!! lol

Car parking is free and your membership is checked at the gate.

Katameya Heights

Attended a lunch today at a wonderful lady's house for Bengali New Year.

She lives at Katameya Heights which is way out on the outskirts of Cairo. On the ring road it falls between Maadi & Heliopolis.

This was my first visit in over 18 months to that part of town.

I was pleasantly surprised on my arrival at the complex. It is a gated complex with pretty decent security. Lots of villas in the complex. Everyone has their own garden and walls and parking spaces within the building complex!

For entertainment there is an 18 hole golf course. Many houses have their own swimming pools and some of them have their own badminton courts too. There is a common club house with lots of other sports facilities.

Katameya Heights supposedly covers an area of 1.5 million square meters.

They have a long list of facilities but what really impressed me was the greenery all around. IKt felt like such an oasis compared to the concrete jungle of Mohandaseen. When you realise that the complex is bounded by arid desert on all sides, this achievement becomes even more remarkable.

Only negatives I could see there were that
1. the temperature was a couple of degrees higher than the rest of cairo - perhaps becuase of the arid desert around.
2. for schools, kids have to travel to Maadi or Heliopolis, although taking the ring road means it takes less time than it would for someone in Zamalek trying to drive to the British School in the All Saints Cathedral Complex.

Anyways, after a wonderful South East Asian themed lunch and interesting conversation with some very interesting ladies, I headed over to Khan el Khalili to help more friends from India shop for their Egyptian souvenirs :)

Egyptian Geographical Society

(From : http://touregypt.net/featurestories/geographic.htm)

Members of the General Geographic Conference, after visiting the Egyptian Museum, pose for a photo at its entrance

(from http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/506/chrncls.htm)

The working hours are 9 am till 2 pm.

Holiday on Thursday and Friday.

It actually has a Museum downstairs. It has some very rare collection of past things such as ElMahmal (المحمل), rare rocks, swords of the past as they were used in Egypt, etc.

It was also (at its heyday) a very well known Society in the world in which major lectures took place by major explorers.

• It is one of the oldest non-governmental institutions in Egypt (founded 1875), second only to L'Institut d'Egypte (founded 1798)
• It's the 9th geographical society worldwide
• It's name has changed several times, chronicling the history of modern Egypt in the process: La Societe Khedivial de Geographie (1875-1916), La Societe Sultanieh (1917-1922), La Societe Royale de Geographie d'Egypte (1923-1953), La Societe de Geographie d'Egypte (1953- )
  

The above information and more can be found on the society's website : http://server2002.net/egs1/english.html

Thanks Nihal for pointing me in this direction.

BCA’S 5th Cairo Cricket Carnival

Attended the first half of BCA’s 5th Cairo Cricket Carnival today.

This was organised by the BCA in conjunction with the Cairo Rugby Club and the CSA.

It was good fun. 4 groups of 4 teams each. India A & India B both topped in their respective groups. Semis & Finals are tomorrow.





The matches are 5 overs per side and are even quicker than the twenty/twenty.

There's a wonderful craft market and home produce bazaar where you can pick up some interesting knick knacks.

Both BCA and Cairo Rugby Club are running a bar counter and a food counter each. Yummy sausages, burgers and kebabs are on offer at the carnival.

We ended the day with a wonderful live performance by Yehia Khalil and the Nile Rockers. The weather is awesome and so were the spectators. Of course there was some good natured ribbing of the competing teams :)

Oh I forgot to mention the presence of child minders, face painting and some aerated slides for the kids.

Do try and come in for the finals, its worth the trip. A complete package for the whole family.

Maadi Women's Guild

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at Maadi Community Church at the corner of Port Said & Road 17 in the garden area.

Maadi Womens Guild is open to all women of the Community.

For more information call the church office or email maadi_womens_guild[at]yahoo[dot]com

http://www.maadiwomensguild.com/

Community activities include :
Golf
Bowling
Bible Study
Mom's in Touch
Fitness
Scrap Booking
Creative Threads

Check the website for more details.

New Middle East Wives, Heliopolis

British Community Association (BCA) in conjunction with the New Middle East Wives

Coffee Morning

If you are new to Cairo why not come along to our social morning where expat ladies of all nationalities get together for a chat and coffee and cakes

The group meets at the BCA (Heliopolis) Clubhouse every 2nd Tuesday of the month between 10am and 1pm

For more information, call :
Alison 415 7318
Betsy 415 0186
Betty 291 3979

Please note : The MEW meeting is also held on the same day

I haven't attended a meeting here yet, but looks like a good option for new expat women in the Heliopolis area

ACE Club, Maadi

ACE Club
Association of Cairo Expatriates
2 Midan Victoria, Digla Maadi

Tel : 519 4594

12:00noon to 12:30am
Last Order 11:50pm

The ACE Club is a members club run by the members and offers a friendly meeting place for expatriates of all nationalities in a lovely villa with sun terrace, garden and children's play area.

Facilities are available for private parties, conferences and group meetings.

The garden is open all day and night to relax with family and friends.

Club Activities and facilities include :
Tuesday night : Quiz Night
Wednesday Night : Pool League
All week : Bar & all club facilities

Other Facilities :
2 pool tables
Dart boards
TV & Video - Regular sports matches shown on Super Sport

Food & Beverages:
Lunch and snacks : 12noon to 9:30pm
Evening meals : a la carte
Refreshments


The clubhouse is on the Apex of Road 213 and 216 (near Victory College Field's Main Gate)

Newcomers are particularly welcome.

I haven't visited this club myself, but looks like they are a fun group.

Membership Registration for ICAE

The ICAE is the Indian Community Association in Egypt.

In case you have not logged on to this site, please do it, it will keep everybody posted about the events done by ICAE in Egypt.

Dear Community Members:

Thank you to members who have already registered on our web site. Please make sure that you go back after registration and update your family and personal details by clicking "Membership" link again. (ICAE web site address: http://dev.me.com.eg/icae)

For community members who have not registered, kindly do so before October 5, 2007 as we would like to print the directory and be available prior to Dussera function. Existing community members also need to re-register on the site and input their personal details.

Thank you very much for your cooperation,

Best regards,

ICAE Committee

The Cairo Rugby Club

Its time to renew or start your membership at the Cairo Rugby Club in Maadi.

Membership season runs from September 1st to August 31st of the next year. (This is the season for most memberships as the summer holidays have just come to an end & most expats are back in town & schools / universities are re-opening)

I've been following their events last year (I haven't attended any - Maadi is too far away for me) and they manage to have a disco/karaoke or DJ Ahemdito party at least once a month.

A lot of international matches are screened at the club house. And this is apart from their in-house teams for men, ladies & kids. Rugby coaching is also part of the deal. So if you would like to coach or learn, the club affords you an ideal opportunity in Cairo.

The highlight of their annual calendar is the desert dinner thats held at the base of the pyramids at the end of winter.

Membership is pretty reasonable too. 1000 LE annual for a whole family. Couple + all your under 16's. If you aren't the sporty types, you can look at the social membership option for 400LE. And for short term visitors, there is the 3 month membership for 300le. For the full rate list & membership forms visit their website.

You can take a trip down to the club to see the facilities for yourself at
Cairo Rugby - The Clubhouse
Ground Floor, Building 10, Road 214
Digla, Maadi, Cairo

Shout out to Indians in Egypt

Hi,

I've been receiving tons of requests for help and information about life & living in Egypt. There are a lot of groups around that can help you with that, but there wasn't a particular group focussing on Indians & their special (read spicy) needs.

I've created a group called desisinEgypt on yahoogroups. To sign up please send a blank mail to desisinEgypt-subscribe[at]yahoogroups[dot]com. You can subscribe even if you aren't Indian, but do be warned that the discussions will have a strong Indian slant.

Membership is moderated on that group because of the nature of the group and subscribers have to fill up a small questionnaire before their membership is approved.

You are allowed to ask all kinds of questions and feel free to reply to peoples questions. We will keep the discussions civil & polite.

BCA - South African Braii Night

After watching an Action Packed Adrenalin Pumping Die Hard 4, It was time for a South African Braii at the BCA.

Since I've not spoke about the BCA before let me just introduce it right here. The British Community Association originally formed for British expats in 1976, now welcomes expats from all countries as members. Only qualification - a non Egyptian passport.

There are 2 clubhouses. One in Mohandaseen & one in Heliopolis. The one in Mohandaseen has pool tables, a video library, a book library, dart tables, a well stocked bar & a cafe /restaurant (about 3-4 varieties of main courses every day)

Their Newsletter - The BCA Chronicle is really informative (more information than the CSA Magazine for example) They have a Pool, Darts & Cricket league. There's a major Cricket tournament coming up on 26 & 27 October that they have organised.



At their Annual South African Braii (entry 60LE inclusive of dinner) there was a salad bar with a variety of potato salad, coleslaw, Pap & a bean/carrot/dried beans salad.

The meats being barbequed/grilled were Boerewors , Marinated Fillet Steaks, Pork Spare Ribs with special K Sauce, Pork hamburgers, beef hamburgers &Peri Peri Chicken.

Ox Tail Potjkiekos (a kind of stew), Bunny Chow plus a few other South African favourites like Klippies and Coke, Springbokkies and more were also on offer.

The entry included 3 types of grilled meat & the entire salad buffet. Everything we tasted was excellent. I can't fahtom how they got the Peri Peri Chicken & the ribs to be as soft as they were. The Spicy sauces & traditional South African Condiments available were the cherry on the iced cake.

To top it all off "Dirty Looks" a local band was playing live music from the 60's to the 80's. The 2 guitarists, keyboardist, drummer, & main vocalist were excellent. Their saxophone player was out of this world. It was a wonderful experience when he came into the middle of the dance floor playing his sax. They played a wonderful set of numbers from Santana to Ray Charles.

A very enjoyable evening. Very relaxed. Great food, great music, great company, great prices, great organisation.