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Berlin is a city that is always in motion. But now that it’s Spring and it’s getting warmer, everyone is feeling the buzz and getting more active – just the right timing for the Movement Week Berlin – a sports program that was initiated by Swiss sportswear brand On in collaboration with Urban Sports Club.
The Movement Week Berlin is not just purely about sports, it’s about community, enabling access to sports, motivation, and experimentation. Its aim is to bring experienced athletes and sports enthusiasts together in one place with those of you that are curious and want to become more active. You don’t have to be advanced in any discipline to join in on the fun.
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by Frank | Misc.
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Today we have the pleasure to introduce you to an exciting festival of Deutsche Telekom, our longtime partner. It’s about fun, about community, about equality and about female empowerment – and these are all topics that are of course also very close to our hearts.
The Equal eSports Festival, which takes place this coming weekend from October 29-31 at the Telekom Hauptstadtrepräsentanz, is dedicated to equality and diversity in the eSports and gaming scene. “eSports is a mass sport in which there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of equality and diversity,” reports Antje Hundhausen, initiator of the festival from Deutsche Telekom.
But supporting women in this otherwise male-dominated scene is just the beginning. It is also important to the festival to include non-binary players, for example, as well as people who otherwise have no access to the gaming experience due to their origin or social status. Everyone should be able to play and be part of the community.
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by Frank | Events
Especially in winter when the days are short and the light is gloomy, every Berliner wishes to hop on a plane to Bali or at least to South Europe. But all the plane-hopping is surely not so good for our planet and not the best choice if you have a fulltime job and a family here in Berlin.
Exactly 11 years ago on a really hard winter night, a friend of mine brought me to my first SUNYOGA class in Kreuzberg. Afterward, I felt completely exhausted but in the nicest way. Like you had spent a whole day at the ocean. Back then I had never heard of the concept of Hot Yoga and did not know anything about the health benefits and how it would change my life for good.
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by Claudio | Wellness
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The big Berlin Marathon is upon us later this week and as a special treat, Airbnb has invited the international marathon icon Kathrine Switzer to Berlin for a Fearless Fitness Experience that you can participate in now!
Switzer has become famous as the first official female runner in the Boston Marathon back in 1967. Until that time it was an unwritten rule that women could not participate in marathons because they were physically not capable of it. That was until Switzer broke the rules and took part in the 67’s marathon anyway as part of a team with two guys. While most other men in the race were impressed by Switzer it was the race director Jock Semple that ran after her and tried to stop her, only to be pushed off the race track by Switzer’s boyfriend and athlete Tom Miller.
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by Frank | Events, People, Wellness
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Today we want to introduce you to a very special event that will tickle the interest of both street art lovers and runners alike: The On Art Run.
Our new guest writer Laurent has already introduced himself to you as a running enthusiast who likes to combine this sport with other activities and also compiled a list of the best running routes in Berlin for us. To our big delight this week there is a chance for all of you to go out running with him for the On Art Run that will take place on Thursday starting in Kreuzberg and going all the way Friedrichshain past some of the most iconic street art murals of the city including the cosmonaut by Victor Ash that was recently illuminated by a spectacular video mapping.
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by Frank | Events, Wellness
photos: Vismante Ruzgaite.
I have been a sports enthusiast and “urban” active for almost my entire life. But it’s only until I moved to Berlin that I got more interested in running and really found a passion for it.
During my first few days in Berlin, I stumbled upon a friend of mine who invited me to join her running group on a Wednesday morning before work. At first, I was skeptical, why would I run with people? I had always seen running as a personal experience, almost like a meditative moment to clear your head out. But moving into a new city, you want to meet new people right? So I decided I would join their run. This was my first time running in a group and I immediately liked it. In just an hour, I had met a lot of new people and got to learn a lot about the city, its different neighborhoods, its history. It was a revealing experience! I discovered the benefits of running in a community and being part of a group made me realize that running can also be an activity to connect, socialize, laugh and share.
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by Guest Author | Stories
photo: Vismante Ruzgaite.
Whether you are just getting into running or are already a regular runner, Berlin is the right place for you. The city has one of the largest and most dedicated running communities in the world. Berlin is the only city in Europe besides London to be part of the World Marathon Majors, the world’s most prestigious running events. Some of the most popular running groups were born in Berlin and then spread around the world. Nowadays, running goes beyond sports, it’s a lifestyle. Everywhere you go in Berlin, you can really feel the presence of the running culture. For me, running has been a great way to discover a city, to connect with its people and of course, stay fit!
I am happy to share with you my top 5 running routes in Berlin that I enjoy the most.
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by Guest Author | Wellness
photo: Slawomir Urban – URBANKAMERA
Straight men like football, basketball, and rugby. Gay men like gymnastics, ice-skating and yoga. These stereotypes can be right 60ish% of the time (this number is made up). But in some cases, they are so, so wrong and harmful. Stereotypes are a tricky thing. Of course, they help our silly human brains process information quicker and make faster decisions (though not necessarily better decisions). But when it comes to human interactions, your easy stereotypes can feel like a cage to the person you apply it too.
With the mission to show the world that stereotypes should be second-guessed in the case of sports and sexual preferences, the Berlin Bruisers take a strong stand on the field. The gay rugby team’s recent campaign – with the slogan “Fight For Being You” – was published on Facebook, Instagram and in print. When it came out, it caused quite some controversy (especially with straight men), which made me notice it.
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by Claudio | Stories
photo: After School Hustle
How to sustain Berlin’s status as a creativity hub and support its talent? How to make sure the art scene remains inclusive and reinforces the community? Luckily, there are guys in Berlin who care about finding answers to those questions – and will go to great lengths creating projects that truly have a positive impact on the community. After School Hustle is a great example – and it addresses the folks that really have the potential to make a change in the decades to come – the high school students!
The program, founded and directed by Pawel Mordel, provides free skill-building workshops for high schoolers in Berlin. After School Hustle is still quite a recent project. They’ve just started out in the summer of the previous year and yet what they’ve accomplished so far is already pretty impressive.
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by Michalina | People
Both my parents studied German Philosophy at University. The hallway of our home was an entire library filled with old books showcasing the Stars of this particular scene. From Kant to Nietzsche, we had them all year around us and our lives. One day I discovered one particular book that was called “Zen and the Art of Archery”. Little did I know as a teenager that this book was a tremendous bestseller back in the days when German philosophy was really hip and cool. It’s about a German professor going to Japan to learn more about Zen. On top of getting philosophy lessons the old Japanese master also teaches him archery.
Now, nearly 15 years after discovering this book I am going to my first intuitive archery lesson here in Berlin. On Kottbusser Damm I am looking for a Dojo called BerlinAikido where I am meeting my teacher Latifa Rothacker.
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by Claudio | Stories
