Wellness | iHeartBerlin.de

A Trip to the Cutest Creatures of Brandenburg: Alpacas

For some Berliners, Brandenburg feels like Mordor from Lord of the Rings. A dark place you are not supposed to go. But our recent discovery will make this assumption disappear even for the most sceptikal ones: An Alpaka farm with the most fluffy creatures of the world

Just one hour from Berlin by car is the little village of Börnicke near Nauen. There you will find the privately run Alpaca farm run by Nora and Joachim. Both are big fans of Alpacas who normally live in South America. They decided to build a little stable for these incredible animals next to an idyllic forest.

When we arrived we did not really know what to expect. But as soon as we stood in the middle of the field the funny animals avidly came towards us eating crispy bread from our hands and cuddling with us. We instantly got high of joy. I would have never believed it myself, but playing with these animals gives you the absolute feeling of happiness. When they look at you with their cute big brown eyes you cannot avoid feeling a deep warm sensation around your heart.

5 Hot Activities for Cold Berlin Nights

by Michalina | Bars, Clubs, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Prenzlauer Berg, Wedding, Wellness

Probably the most dreaded characteristic of Berlin is its continental climate – especially the ruthless winters. It feels like many expats would happily switch from a full-time residency to summer guest appearances – but as avowed Berliners, we have a bunch of strategies to cope with the cold and make sure you enjoy our beautiful Hauptstadt all year round. Read on to find out what keeps us warm and entertained!

A Natural Workout in the Parks & Playgrounds of Berlin

by Guest Author | Wellness

Are you one of those people who have a contract for a gym and hardly ever go there? Especially at the beginning of the year, people have the intention to work on their body, preparing for summer. But let’s be honest: when the summer is finally there, who wants to still go to the stuffy, stinky gym? We think there are better options to do a body workout than going into a studio.

There are many options to train your body, fitness trends like Yoga, Pilates, Crossfit… But did you ever try Natural Movement? Sounds like something you can only do in the wilderness, but hold on, Berlin also has its spots for this! Natural Movement offers you to explore your body’s full range of motion and agility. By practicing, you will start to gain the skills, strength and condition essential to adapt and perform in any environment. And please, don’t worry to look like a little monkey, we love monkeys!

Wellness Escapes from Berlin: South Tyrol

by Claudio | Travel, Wellness

Miramonti Hotel

Even if you live a healthy lifestyle between yoga classes and Quinoa Avocado bowls: a big city like Berlin with its hustle and bustle is surely not beneficial for our health. Air pollution, sound pollution, electric pollution are just a few annoying things. Where I suffer actually the most are bars that feel like a deep dive into an ashtray full of cigarettes or the typical 12-hour working shifts sitting in offices destroying your eyes in front of a flickery computer. Of course, Berlin has beautiful nature with plenty of lakes and forests just outside the city. But the landscape is flat and boring like a pancake. So if you want to breathe pure mountain air and get an eyegasm while checking out the curvy Dolomites you have to follow us on our little Berlin escape down to South Tyrol.

We have been a fan of this region for several years now and try to get there as often as we can. This time around we had the chance to try out some specific health and balance activities the tourism office of South Tyrol is offering. Not only the pricing of this program is more than fair. On South Tyrol Balance you have the chance to choose from so many different activities that you will be surprised how many diverse experiences you can have in just one region.

Below we will guide you through our 7 favorite South Tyrol wellness experiences with some pretty awesome pictures we took over there.

A Hidden Beauty Gem Called Brunette

by Claudio | Schöneberg, Wellness

“Would you like a make-over?” This is usually not the kind of question you want to hear from anybody (especially family or friends who should always love you the way you like). But when this question comes in an eMail send by Brunette – a hair salon some of my friends were already telling me so much about – Frank and I didn’t think twice about giving it a try.

A couple of months ago we decided to arrange a “hair date” to test this newly redesigned hair salon inside a former barn. Actually, for me it was more like a social experiment to see if a hair dresser would dare to tell my dear Frank to cut his rocker hair off. But unfortunately the gay couple who runs this place, Lars and Andre, have more an open heart for the well-being and the comfort of their customers rather than my entertaining hidden agenda. So be it! The hair date went fine, and while I really got quite a strong make-over, Frank just got what he wished for: a little trim of the end of his long blonde hair.

The salon is situated in a hidden courtyard at Tempelhofer Ufer, not too far away from the gallery district of Potsdamer Straße. The whole area around Potsdamer Straße has become the new it-place. So Brunette might be on your way if you want to spend your night at some vernissage or other social event in that area.

Still we recommend to make an appointment when you have some free time to spare to enjoy their treatments and care to the fullest. The address and some images after the jump.

Why doing Sports in Berlin Winter really sucks!

by Claudio | Mitte, Stories, Wellness

We’ve all been there. During summer literally all of Berlin seems packed with beautiful, super fit people hanging around semi-naked and looking like they just jumped out of a fitness-Instagram channel. The problem is, regarding your own fitness, you wouldn’t dare hang around these super humans to practice your yoga skills, running stamina or doing sit-ups. What seems annoying but nonetheless joyful in the summer becomes practically impossible during wintertime: doing sports outside. But, you might ask, how and when should you achieve your perfect summer body?

Together with the newly opened gym JOHN REED Fitness Music Club, we wrote down a series of serious (and not-so-serious) reasons why you should avoid doing outdoor sports in Berlin in winter. As an alternative, we are not only recommending you this new fitness club right in the middle of the city, but also raffling out two full-year memberships. Not bad right? Check out our little GIF series after the jump.

Zins – A Beauty Oasis in Neukölln

by Claudio | Neukölln, Wellness

photo: Sasha Kharchenko

I have an irrational fear of new hair dressers. Now you might think that I am a diva and that cutting a men’s hair is actually not so hard and what should go wrong with short hair, right?. But believe me: growing up in east Germany taught me that the people with scissors in their hand cannot be trusted. For years I always went to the same hairdresser here in Berlin not because I thought the salon did an amazing job, but just because I thought they didn’t do any permanent damage.

But when I stumbled upon the beautiful Zins Hair Salon on my way to visit a friend at Körnerpark, I knew that the day arrived where I had to try out something new. The hair salon is owned by a charming lady called Nadine Zins and you immediately realize that there is a lot of passion behind the project. While cutting my hair Nadine told me enthusiastically how she created most of the furniture for the beautiful interior of the shop herself together with a friend who is a carpenter. Also, the concept of only using organic natural product is quite unique for the neighborhood and I like the fact that she selected all the beauty products with research and care.

A longtime fan of Neukölln Nadine wanted to contribute with her passion to the district. She succeeded in creating a unique place with a charming interior and top skilled team of professional hair dressers working for her. I love when I get the chance to stumble upon passionate micro-entrepreneurs in different neighbourhoods and when they cut my hair with style I love it even more. More snaps of the space and the address after the jump.

Agape Zoe – The Coolest Yoga Festival in Berlin

by Claudio | Wellness

photos: Grit Siwonia

Yoga is just for yuppies, for crazy hippie women or for body fanatics. The prejudices about yoga are numerous and persistent. And they are all true. Because yoga is for everybody. The yoga world is one of the most non-excluding bubbles I have ever stumbled upon. Either you wear a suit and work in a bank all week or wear a long hippie gown and sell tea in a tea shop. It doesn’t matter anymore when you are standing on the mat practicing yoga together. And that is actually kind of the best social side effect of yoga. People who would never interact with each other start speaking with a cup of tea in their hand after the class. For me it is the diversity of people practicing yoga that makes it a great social adventure all the times I go to my sun yoga studio.

If you are intrigued by this world of yoga and spirituality but never got the chance to experience it I can warmly recommend the Agape Zoe Festival. Inside in the paradisiac Eden Studios (where contemporary dancers train during the week) this weekend from September 10th till 11th a great spectrum of yoga, meditation and other approaches to all kinds of mind and body practices are presented. And since it is Berlin after the yoga classes there will be a nice electronic DJ set to finish gloriously. If you want to participate you can buy a ticket our take part in our raffle in the comments area. Check out their website for more info and watch the trailer and more photos after the jump.

Berlin 24/7: A Guide for Night Owls

by Nikos | Bars, Cafés, Charlottenburg, Food, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Misc., Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Restaurants, Shops, Wedding, Wellness

photo: all.x

Having studied at another culturally forgettable -yet very beautiful in the summer – German town, I always thought that the main difference between living in the capital and living in a place, where breathing large amounts of non-polluted air almost didn’t feel right, was the night life. What differentiates Berlin from other smaller cities is not just its numerous wild parties, where the right drug combination can bring you to euphoric levels of happiness despite the insufferably monotonous beats and pull you into a life crisis the next day, while wondering how you managed to look like you already had a divorce and a few heart-attacks. Luckily, Berlin is so much more than that.

The main difference lies in the possibilities awaiting when the sunlight starts to dim and the city puts on a new outfit, less fancy but always stylish; not the let’s-have-a-reunion-at-the-cemetery-kind, but in a far more original way.

Blame it on your insomnia, your constantly unsatisfied desire to explore as many as layers of this city as possible, your biological needs, or simply your Fear Of Missing Out, Berlin is here to keep you company through the sleepless nights, when doing anything other than “sleeping, because I am working tomorrow” could feel just a little bit abnormal; to be your remedy. read more…

Your Space – A new Place for Yoga & Meditation in Berlin

by Claudio | Prenzlauer Berg, Wellness

photos: Alicia Kassebohm

The fertile fuel of the mythic Berlin of the 90s and early 2000s was the abundance of unused buildings and spaces all around the city, especially in the East. So many business opportunities for small entrepreneurs, night clubs, music venues and even for yoga studios became possible through affordable space. This created a spirit of daring, bold minds open to new and experimental entrepreneurial concepts. And even if the rents nowadays are rising, this spirit remains to enrich the city day by day with yet another new amazing local business.

One month ago my friend and Yoga teacher Michaela Aue discovered a hidden gem in the second backyard of Prenzlauer Allee: an unused loft space with the rough Eastern charm of 90s Berlin. The space inspired her to team up with meditation expert Sophie Weiser to create a unique idea: Your Space – a creative hub that doesn’t need a label. Your Space will offer regular yoga and meditation classes during the week and unique and inspiring workshops in different disciplines on the weekend. Well connected to the local scene Michaela and Sophie gathered some of the best teachers and practitioners in town to celebrate the art of connecting body and mind.

Check out their weekly schedule here and follow them on Facebook for news and updates. More pictures, address and info after the jump.
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