Image credits: Mama Ulitas Hoop love, Annika Dollmeyer
Hula hooping – Your hips will thank you
Why not experimenting with new forms of exercise? Usually considered an outdoor activity, hula-hooping is now flourishing in living rooms all over. Ulrike Biller aka Mama Ulita, a Leipzig-based artist, teaches hula hoop techniques at events and small training sessions. Now she shifted everything to Zoom – and it’s an amazingly fun place to practice.
Yoga at home – Support your local teachers
By now you, probably, have found your favorite platform to “om”, but here’s our Berlin-favorite. Steph Jaksch was the first teacher to bring Jivamukti Yoga to Berlin in 2006 and, among traditional yoga styles, teaches Berlin Electric Yoga (BEY is our city’s own invention of combining live DJ sets with yoga). In normal times, you can find her at Soho House Berlin and John and Jane’s Soulbase in Mitte. But for now, you can attend a private class or get moving via an online session on Zoom. Watch this inspiring trailer with Steph – we bet you will, at the least, make a mental note of where your yoga mat currently is.
Freeletics in Berlin – Hot people alert
It’s basically a simple outdoor gym, and there are several dedicated spaces in Berlin. You can do all your core work, yoga, boxing, join a HIIT group, bring your resistance bands, jump a rope – anything goes here (not to mention, sweating, while being surrounded by very attractive Berliners). You can learn about all the group events on the Freeletics FB page and check out the locations of outdoor gyms for most parks in Berlin.
Image credits: Stephanie Jaksch, Patricia Lukas
Rent a garden – Reconnect with nature
Many of us have dreamed of joining a public garden in Berlin. Usually there are not so many options, and spaces are very limited. But we discovered Meine Ernte. The idea is simple: they rent large fields from farmers all over Germany and separate them into 40 or 80 square meter parcels for you to grow vegetables and fruits (April–October) at a fair price. Two-thirds of your plot comes pre-planted with different veggies, such as radishes, cabbages, potatoes, lettuces, carrots, and herbs. On the remaining land you can plant anything you like. For upcoming availability check online.
Combine walking with an architecture tour – Out into the city
The audio walk app from Berlinische Galerie tells the stories behind the buildings in their actual locations in the city. Offered now are three routes leading to important buildings and sites of the International Building Exhibition Berlin 1987 (IBA 87) in Kreuzberg and to the postmodern buildings in East and West Berlin along Friedrichstrasse. The audio essays are available in German and English and can be played back in chapters. To make navigation easier, these three 30-minute routes are marked on a digital map.
Lake and forest walks – Hello, spring
Finally, don’t forget that Berlin is surrounded by beautiful lakes and forests, including many within the city limits. Komoot suggests various hikes around Berlin, for all fitness levels and the time you have on your hand.
