Celebrating wellness and women’s empowerment

The pioneering wellness platform Dhaka Flow, in collaboration with Baridhara Society, hosted a transformative two-day festival of yoga and wellness at the scenic Baridhara Society Park last weekend.

The festival – titled "Inspire Her Wellness" – designed to honour Women's Day, offered attendees a holistic experience centred on movement, mindfulness, health, nature, and community.

The event showcased a rich tapestry of activities, attracting over 10,000 wellness enthusiasts and experts alike, converging to explore and exchange knowledge on health, well-being, climate change, and the empowerment of women entrepreneurs, according to a media release.

Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor, Atiqul Islam, set a positive tone for the festival's second day, emphasising the significance of utilising community parks for wellness initiatives.

Chief guest and State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid later highlighted the crucial role of healthy living, urging the youth to adopt lifestyle tips from Dhaka Flow's extensive offerings.

Shazia Omar, co-founder of Dhaka Flow, shared her insights on holistic wellness.

On Friday, the festival featured a Gratitude Tree Planting session with Shakti Foundation's Labiba Rahman, and Baridhara Society President, Feroz Hassan.

Ghaashphoring Choir, led by Emmy-nominee Armeen Musa, saw hundreds of people in a circle, singing Rabindra Sangeet under a canopy of trees.

The art zone featured Gallery Cosmos, highlighting carefully curated 20 women artists and 'Art Therapy through Printmaking' by renowned artist Rokeya Sultana. The festival also featured a Sufi whirling class and a journaling session with Dhaka Flow's 'Flow Within' journal featuring poetry by Jalaluddin Rumi.

The meditation garden featured day-long mindfulness sessions as well as support group sessions on topics such as coping with chronic pain, cancer, depression, grief and addiction, thriving with children on the spectrum, and much more, in the hope that rather than suffering in isolation people can come together to be stronger as a community.

The festival contained a mela of 75 vendors, all of whom were women-owned businesses.