When I first came to Beirut from New York to teach yoga, I was discouraged by the chaos, the disorganization, and the lack of respect for others,” says Danielle Abisaab, owner of Union Square Yoga in Beirut’s Ashrafieh district, just down the hill from ABC Mall. “But after a while, I reached a point where I thought people needed me more here,” the lithe fortysomething with intricate tattoos and huge green eyes remarks as we sit in her penthouse apartment near Sofil. “They pick up the different layers; it’s a war torn country, with wounds. Yoga has been around for thousands of years for a reason: it works.” It certainly seems to be working for an increasing number of people in the city, as yoga studios pop up seemingly everywhere in Beirut’s wealthier corners, and classes are being offered at gyms everywhere else. People of all ages and both genders
Stephanie is an experienced and versatile communicator, currently managing McKinsey's Global Publishing product, McKinsey Explainers. Previously, she developed strategic communications on digital transformation for UNDP's Chief Digital Office. As a journalist, her reporting on tourism, inequality, and identity has appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, and The Guardian. She is also a social entrepreneur, having co-founded Jaleesa, a Beirut-based startup that created jobs for women in childcare. She holds an M.A. from the New School for Social Research and a B.A. from the University of Southern California.
