A 2007 car accident helped Mobile native Nadine Dalati discover yoga and its effects on the body and mind and now she is sharing the practice with Atmore residents.

Dalati, activities specialist and certified yoga instructor at Escape spa at Wind Creek, had her spine fractured in four places and after she recovered she decided to give yoga a try.

“It realigned my spine and relaxed my traumatized mind,” she said of the experience with yoga.

Daniel Wallace, a beginner from Perdido, said he’s been taking yoga classes from Dalati at least once a week for a month and loves it.

“It gets you – it makes you more conscientious of your body and what your body can do,” Wallace said. “It causes a lot of peace – a lot of nirvana.”

Now, six years after her accident, Dalati is a full time instructor at the Atmore spa as of August and she’s teaching four classes a day, five days a week.

“It’s come a long way, but I’d say it’s still in its infancy” she said. “We still have so much to add.”

Dalati, who was raised Catholic and spent 18 years at a Catholic school, said she wants to demystify the practice of yoga. She said it is only meant to enhance one’s life.

“Yoga is not a religion,” she said. “What yoga is here to do is enhance your well being and connect you to your innate joy. Yoga helps us calm the frustrations of the mind and helps us connect with our own inner peace.”

Yoga can also help its practitioners get in shape, or stay in shape, Dalati said.

“Yoga is definitely a workout as much as it is a work-in,” she said. “You’re toning your organs, not just toning your biceps or other muscles.”
She said the practice is also good for your circulatory system as well as being a good cardiovascular workout.

Dalati teaches three levels of classes from beginner to intermediate as well as hot yoga, where the temperature gets as warm as 90 degrees.

There is a gentle class that helps relieve stress and more advanced classes that can help tone muscles, she said.

“Yoga can meet you wherever you are,” she said. “You do whatever feels right.”

The spa has begun offering beginner yoga getaways, which will be held once a month. The getaway includes a one-night stay in Wind Creek’s “healthy hotel,” meals, a sunrise yoga session, a question and answer session, a Jade yoga mat and guided meditation. The cost for the getaway is $299, but a second person will cost $99.

Classes for walk-ins are $12 and a spa pass is $18. Call the spa at 1-855-393-7227 or email Dalati at ndalati@pcigaming.com for more information.