Another cool urban fitness studio comes to Downtown Dubai in the form of A-Tone Fitness Lounge, the brainchild of fitness fanatic Anjali Chandiramani and buddy, Bollywood celebrity trainer, Yasmin Karachiwala. Now open in the heart of Business Bay, the luxe 3,000 sq ft space will offer UAE clients the best and most effective techniques tried and tested by A-list celebrities; more importantly, at a fraction of the cost.
The bright and funky studio has several rooms and trainers on hand catering to all styles of exercise, from various schools of yoga straight up to their signature hightempo Cross-cuit class, with a limit on ten people per session to ensure that no one gets left behind; but it can be argued that its star factor comes from Yasmin’s Body Image Pilates room, which the celebrity trainer will visit once a month for special masterclasses when she is not busy training the likes of Bollywood’s Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Zarine Khan. Credited for popularizing Pilates in India, it goes without saying that Pilates fans should pay a visit to A-Tone to experience her signature method.
Karachiwala, whom we met for an exclusive Pilates Reformer class, says: “At A-Tone, our main motive is centering, which means working from the centre out to one’s extremities. Pilates helps to centre the body, as does Cross-cuit and yoga, and we work from the inside out to stabilise the muscles that hold you up tall in order to not only make you feel physically elongated and agile, but also mentally taller and sharper. Our carefully curated regimes are designed to boost your confidence and create unison between the mind and the body, and that’s what the concept is all about.”
Pilates equipment used here comes from leading manufacturer Balanced Body, the first Pilates company to substantially update Joseph Pilates’ equipment by combining state-of-the-art engineering, materials and technology with a modern understanding of human biomechanics, and Karachiwala strongly backs its methods, not just for her VIP clients, but for very personal reasons as well.
“My dad did Pilates when he had cancer,” she reveals. “He passed away last year but he died healthy, he didn’t suffer. Because he respected his body, he died with respect. That’s when you realize the importance of good biomechanics etc. My mum also has spinal issues, bad knees, arthritis, and she does Pilates every single day.”
There are a range of exciting and effective exercise classes are on offer.
Karachiwala, 45, adds: “I like also that when you do Pilates in your ‘old age’, like mine, you can still do stuff like box jumps in a CrossFit class.
“In all other fields of sport or fitness, I find that there are so many imbalances, and what Pilates does is it really helps people connect their left and their right, balances them out, and it helps you activate your weaker side. That’s why we encourage that you combine Pilates with the other things you love, so that you can do those things from a stronger, better place.” Karachiwala says: “Pilates is very mindful movement – you really have to think as you work. What we do here is take a person’s body and say ‘how can we give them movement that will help them function better outside this room?’
The number one source of injury is bad posture, she says, and in this class you can correct that. Best of all, Pilates is suited to all ages – instructors are seeing that more and more people starting to exercise in their later years choose Pilates and reap the benefits of a life healthier than that of their youth.
Once you’re feeling strong inside and out from your Pilates training (here this includes Bodhi, Chair, Mat and more), another class worth complimenting it with is A-Tone’s signature Cross-cuit, a hybrid butt-kicking inspired by CrossFit and circuit training and that plucks functional movements from HIIT, Olympic weightlifting, plyometrics and calisthenics alongside a dash of aerobics and resistance strongman training. Meanwhile, you can challenge yourself further with Power, Ashtanga, Aerial Yoga and more (including kids’ yoga) here, too.
Founder Anjali Chandiramani says: “I personally like to try different things when it comes to fitness, to keep the boredom at bay. Before A-Tone I had to head to different places all over Dubai to get my combination of workouts in, and
that’s why here I’ve put everything under one roof. Cross-cuit, for one, is a more doable version of popular CrossFit classes, which, let’s be honest, scares people off.
“We don’t have a membership per se, we have packages – you can do one class (Dh80 for most classes, Pilates Dh110), pay for a set of 10 (from Dh700) or unlimited for the whole month (from Dh800).
“A-Tone is meant to be a place where you can meet like-minded people, enjoy a health drink with new friends on a journey to a healthier, fitter you. We are excited about bringing a tone of change to the city, and look forward to helping Dubai get A-Toned.”
What: A-Tone Fitness Lounge
Where: Business Bay, Dubai
Contact: www.a-tone.ae
Verdict: Everything is in place at A-Tone for a fabulous workout, no matter your preference, experience or budget.
