LifeYoga: Delhi's Newest Wellness Sanctuary To Add To Your List

When you enter the newly opened LifeYoga building in Delhi, the airiness and light-filled corners make you forget you are in the heart of the city, in the middle of the concrete jungle and not an actual green jungle. An urban oasis in Chanakyapuri surrounded by thickets of trees, this bespoke yoga studio combines aesthetics with asanas to give visitors a harmonious wellness sanctuary smack in the centre of the busy capital.

Certain elements can make or break the appeal of a wellness centre for you. If the colours are too flashy, the space isn't enough, and the lights are harsh, it becomes difficult to immerse in the environment truly. At LifeYoga, there is no paucity of space, the lights are warm and soothing, and the earthy tones of the interiors lend it a calming effect, which is a prerequisite for any wellness centre.

OT spoke to Ambrish Arora, Founder and Design Principal at Studio Lotus, the firm that is the brains behind the seamless and natural design of LifeYoga. He talked to us about the conceptualisation, elements, and materials that led to the creation of this sanctuary. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

At the ground level, we have the reception that extends into a retail zone, a restaurant, 'Eleved', serving Ayurveda-inspired fare, and some consultation rooms on the low-height mezzanine. A mix of yoga studios offers intimate and expansive spaces that can accommodate anywhere between five and fifty individuals at a given time. The conservatory-style upper floor is where one of the main yoga studios is placed for high-intensity training sessions and hot yoga classes. The lower ground floor is designed to provide a conducive atmosphere for more introspective forms of the practice.

As the facility caters to around 15 diverse yogic disciplines, they are equipped with built-in props ranging from hooks for aerial yoga to wall ropes for Iyengar yoga. They vary in scale, from fitting small groups of five to six to mid-sized groups of about 25, and can even be merged to accommodate groups as large as 50. The materiality is intentionally tactile, evocative, and spartan, with locally sourced materials such as kikar (acacia) and Mandana red sandstone in various hues and textures weaving quietly into the volume. Daylight has been crucial as an extension of the design vocabulary, along with the lush foliage of peepal and banyan trees that envelop the building on all sides. Wall-to-wall windows layered with translucent muslin or handmade paper screens till eye level create a visual barrier from external noise and soften the daylight as it enters the spaces while guiding lines of sight upwards to the foliage beyond.

We chose to integrate local crafts into the design process–as a medium to connect with the region's culture and create a sense of belonging among the local community. Our design team worked closely with local consultants and over 50 craftspeople, seeking opportunities to sensitively incorporate local materials and find new ways of integrating these crafts within a contemporary environment. The material palette also includes indigenous and locally sourced materials, such as exposed brick and local stones like laterite and khondalite. We designed the facade as a brick-louvred screen in the pattern of local weaves–the famed Ikat patterns of Odisha handlooms. Its three different colours represent the soil diversity of the region, it being a building for the Department of Agriculture.

We integrated passive design strategies–the staggered massing of the building blocks (that helps shield the building from the sun's heat), recessed windows, and a double-skin brick exterior (a system that reduces heat gain by regulating daylight penetration) together, reduce the structure's energy consumption. A simple night-purging system was also devised for cooling and ventilation, which has helped cut down the need for mechanical air-conditioning to only 20 per cent of the built areas. Along with creating a comfortable environment for the users, these design strategies have led to the project exceeding the highest benchmarks for green buildings.

LifeYoga Studio is located at 16/48, Malcha Marg, Block C, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. It is open seven days a week and you can book a session through their application or website.