Work on your body and mind in the city sanctuary of SEVA

Dubai brims with glamorous restaurants serving delectable dishes conjured from the finest ingredients, while its lavish spas are dedicated to glamorous pampering and high-end healing. But this diverse city has a wealth of alternative spaces too, helmed by passionate people. 

SEVA is one. Housed in a converted villa in the residential Jumeirah district, the low-key and authentic holistic wellness centre has evolved and grown to service its community since opening in 2014. 

It is the brainchild of Shadi Enbashi and Eda Güngör who describe SEVA as “their calling” rather than a business. Seva is an ancient Sanskrit word with a deep meaning, says Enbashi. “At its most basic level it means selfless act of service,” he says. 

Enbashi was born in Dubai to Syrian parents while Güngör moved from her hometown Istanbul in 2014, after “signs from the universe” pointed to a move to Dubai. 

“I’ve seen the growth of Dubai from when it was only a single street to all the way to where it is right now,” Enbashi says. “At SEVA we see beyond what some people consider a transient culture, the glittering impression of Dubai that many people have. Nature is our greatest inspiration here and everything we have created was a natural response to our interaction with the environment.”

What started as Life n One, a wellness centre offering yoga, meditation and sound healing, grew to become SEVA in 2020, with a shop and plant-based café that opened just before the pandemic.

“The pandemic changed people’s priorities with an increased focus on looking after their wellbeing and the way they choose to consume food and the way they live their life,” says Enbashi. 

Enbashi describes SEVA as an “experience platform” that offers a safe space for people doing wellness work at a deeper level. “We touch point on different aspects of life – from food to the many layers of the mental, emotional and spiritual,” he says.

Both Enbashi and Güngör are trained kundalini yoga teachers and offer private emotional and physical bodywork sessions at SEVA. It has an eclectic range of workshops and private sessions run by therapists and healers ranging from family and relationships therapy and womb therapy to jungle reiki and tarot readings. It also hosts free gatherings to open its practices up to the wider community such as mindfulness meditation. 

While many of its first customers were from the neighbourhood’s ex-pat community, Enbashi says, more people have embraced their offering and their clientele now includes the Arab community and residents from all around the city.

“We know the culture and demand of the community here and invite them to integrate these practices into their daily city lives,” he says. “We simplify and normalise things that can seem far removed from the average city dweller – we’re trying to create a bridge between civilisations and cultures and offer ways to make life more sustainable in an urban environment.”

The centre is certainly a haven of serenity. Reached via a little foliage-draped pathway, incense wafts from the door of the reception area and shop, which sells books, candles, incense and ritual products for healing and self-enrichment. Upstairs airy rooms host its group yoga, meditation and sound healing classes. Its plant-based café SEVA Table sits at the back of a verdant garden where fragrant flowers bloom, trees trail and cats scamper. The idea for a café came about organically as people were drawn to the garden before and after classes. 

“They started hanging out there, finding it a peaceful place to enjoy the natural environment,” says Enbashi. 

It was the first 100 per cent plant-based café in the Middle East when it opened and is also gluten, cane sugar and GMO-free. “We’re all about whole and natural food. We don’t offer processed ‘fake meat’ of any kind and we don’t use any preservatives or chemicals. For example, we make our own nut milks daily and as far as possible we source seasonally and locally as we can,” says Enbashi. 

It's a lovely respite from the bustle of city life: a green enclave for eating, reading and meditating, alongside a celestial protein shake and jackfruit taco. In the cooler months, this sun-dappled oasis is where Enbashi and team host communal circles and ceremonies for their community.

Many first-time visitors are surprised to find this boho oasis in Dubai, says Enbashi, insisting you can find nature everywhere in Dubai, which has its own restorative natural environments.

“Connecting with nature isn’t just about rural landscapes, green forests and flowing waterfalls. Dubai has its own beautiful nature: we have the water of the Arabian Gulf and the desert. Our desert is one of the places where I find a lot of solitude, joy and serenity,” he says.

Broaden your horizons in Dubai 

In Dubai, you’ll find all the right ingredients for a sun-soaked trip. The sophisticated metropolis by the sea provides unforgettable experiences, from serene safaris in the desert to dining in the world’s tallest building.

Broaden your horizons with a trip that takes in its exhilarating mix of record-breaking architecture, traditional neighbourhoods and white sand beaches. You’ll return home with plenty of tales to share.

Find out more at, visitdubai.com