Soulful stillness, ancient landscapes, and modern healing - two world-class teachers return to where their inner journey began.

In the sandstone stillness of AlUla’s ancient desert, where time feels suspended and every breath deepens, something extraordinary happens. The noise of the outside world fades. The inner world begins to speak. This is the essence of the Yoga Programme at the AlUla Wellness Festival - a gathering of world-class teachers guiding seekers through practices of breath, movement, and introspection. Among those returning this year are Vanessa Kim Roux and Manish Pole, two long-time practitioners and respected facilitators in the global wellness space. Both were part of the festival’s inaugural edition in 2022 and now return with deeper offerings and a shared reverence for the land. In this exclusive conversation with Experience AlUla, they reflect on their journeys, their work, and the unique power of AlUla.

Experience AlUla: What draws you back to the AlUla Wellness Festival year after year?

Vanessa Kim Roux: “Coming back feels like returning to a very sacred space. There’s a beauty in AlUla's landscape and an ancient energy. It's a place that naturally invites presence and reflection, perfect for a wellness destination. Being invited to the very first AlUla Wellness Festival in 2022 was a very proud and defining moment for me - bringing this kind of mindful movement and healing work to Saudi Arabia for the very first time."

Manish Pole: “It’s like a reunion for me - I’ve been coming since the first edition in 2022 to experience a little bit of calm and quiet in these beautiful landscapes, and to meet people who are beginning their journey and come to the festival to start to experience these practices - yoga, meditation. It’s very rewarding. It feels like a fresh start in Saudi Arabia’s cultural landscape.”

EA: How does the natural environment shape the sessions you lead?

VKR: “AlUla’s raw, untouched nature invites you to slow down and to listen inwardly. The mountains seem to hold space for deep release, and the still air in the desert amplifies sound healing sessions as well as breathwork sessions in a way that's powerful for healing work. Practising in nature humbles and awakens you. When you breathe in unpolluted desert air and feel the warmth of the sand beneath your bare feet, and you feel the shadows from the gigantic rocks during sunset - which is beautiful in AlUla - or you float in a sound session under the stars, you remember that you are part of something much greater, something vast and something timeless. That awareness shifts your inner experience. It's very grounding and freeing all at once.”

MP: “When I come to AlUla, I feel like I’m in a place that’s been silent for centuries. That’s very rare. A lot of festivals happen in overly populated places - they might be beautiful, but they’re busy. Here, it’s as if the landscape has been resting. There’s so much respect for the natural surroundings and ancient history. We’re surrounded by dates and palms, which just adds to the whole experience and makes it even more beautiful.”

EA: Tell us about your personal journeys into yoga and teaching.

VKR: “I began practising yoga about 20 years ago when I was in a very demanding job that was not sustainable. After starting, I felt like a new version of myself - happy and alive and with a newfound enthusiasm for a healthier lifestyle. I began teaching over 10 years ago, initially drawn to yoga's physical discipline, but quickly captivated by how it transforms both the heart and, even more importantly, the mind. My path deepened through hundreds of hours of study and I started guiding others to teach themselves. In this, I found my own healing and purpose.”

MP: “I’ve been teaching for 22 years - half my life. I studied psychology at college and then I became an advertising writer; I started yoga because I wanted to improve my focus as a writer and I fell in love with it very quickly. I realised it’s a lifelong study and went to live with my teacher in Delhi - I thought I’d learn meditation in three months, but I stayed for seven years. That’s how it all started.”

EA: How would you describe your teaching style and what people can expect at the festival?

VKR: “I would say grounded yet soulful. My classes are a blend of deep mindful movements and moments of pause that invite reflection. I love introducing philosophy, meditation, ritual - and music is an important part of my practice. So sessions feel immersive and personal rather than just an exercise regime. My work brings together ancient wisdom and philosophy combined with modern practices - combining yoga, breathwork, sound and ceremony to guide people inwards. The sound journeys and the floating sound therapy are deeply restorative, but then my power flows and vinyasa yoga bring strength and grace. My meditations and cacao work open the heart and foster connection. It's a complete circle from dynamic movements to profound stillness.”

MP: “Classical yoga is about using the body and mind to reach a meditative state - moving in a way that’s mindful. Pranayama is about breath, which leads to meditation - being able to sit with yourself and watch your mind. Then there is Yoga Nidra - deep rest meditation. In the last 20–30 years, sleep has dropped from 8 to 6 hours - people are losing rest. Yoga Nidra is one hour of rest that equals four hours of normal sleep. It’s physical, mental and emotional relaxation. I will also lead a Khalil Gibran poetry session on the last day of the Wellness Festival. It’s my way of paying respect to the Arab world and I’ve done it every year since the festival began.”

EA: What are the deeper takeaways you hope participants leave with?

VKR: “I hope that participants know that they are capable of self-healing and positive change. And that everyone is deeply connected - to themselves, to each other and to the natural world. I hope participants leave my session with a sense of belonging, feeling a little bit softer, and more importantly, compassion to the relationship with themselves.”

MP: “Yoga is the world’s longest, unbroken research into the question: ‘Who am I?’ You start with understanding your body, then your mind - and then see if there’s something still missing. No other subject studies the human being in such depth. If you’re curious about yourself, do yoga.”

Follow Vanessa Kim Roux: @vanessa.kim.roux
Follow Manish Pole: @manishpole