ŌHIA opened its doors last September and is a beautiful space for modern spirituality — truly an oasis and sanctuary of serenity right in the hub of Berlin Mitte. I instantly became a fan of this place with its holistic and undogmatic approach to meditation, so I'm happy to share with you, that ŌHIA launched their digital studio this month, making their classes accessible from everywhere. Explore the on-demand videos and daily live streams from Berlin, ranging from meditation, sound baths, psychotropic breath, hypnosis and yoga to the ŌHIA WAVE . 
My personal recommendation? It's actually hard to choose, but if I had to pick one, it would be the ŌHIA WAVE. It's the studio's signature high-intensity movement class and really an invitation to ride all the waves of emotions, observe, power out consciously and then refuel. While elements of the class may seem familiar to you (think Osho, The Class, Dancing Yolates, and even boxing), they have been reframed in such a unique way, creating a truly one-of-a-kind class, that I simply love. 

… as to how we can all integrate a bit more mindfulness into our everyday lives — even if we believe we don't we have time to sit down for meditation. So how about we try out a mindfulness exercise “to go”? Next time when you're waiting in line or for the bus, try not to wait for the next thing to happen, try not to distract yourself by taking out your phone but rather see it as an invitation to consciously pause, to take a deep breath and to arrive in the present moment. Everyday life gives us many gentle reminders and opportunities not to wait but to be fully present — ‘cause as Róisín Murphy sings THE TIME IS NOW. How about a little challenge? I invite you to commit to this mindfulness on the go practice for the rest of the month and I’d love to hear from you how it went! 

 

During the cold and grey season, I love to bring some color into my home with fresh flowers and I just love mimosas! These delicate yellow flowers seem like mini suns or yellow cotton candy clouds and are an instant mood lifter. The mimosa blooms from January to March and is a true herald of Spring. By the way, this stunning arrangement is from Castor Fleuriste in Paris and their Instagram in itself is worth the mention. 

 

This month I rediscovered Kintsugi — a Japanese craft but more so a philosophy, that is inspiring in so many ways. It's about the elegance of imperfection and embracing flaws. The tradition of Kintsugi dates back thousands of years as the art of repairing broken ceramics with liquid gold or silver, bringing the broken pieces back together and letting the object shine in a new light: Making the cracks visible, as something to highlight and honor, rather than to hide. Showing that the object's history is valuable beyond damage. In today's throwaway society, I love this technique, as it reminds us, that we don't have to get rid of things that seem broken. They don't automatically lose their worth or become useless — we can take care of them, fix them and make them even more beautiful. And this is not limited to objects — it's also a mindset that transfers to life: Let's not hide our imperfections, they make us human and we are no less lovable because of our so-called flaws. In fact, they make us who we are. Is there any quality in yourself you consider a flaw? Why not cover it with some liquid gold today and re-imagine it as your strength?  

 

Local BERLIN tip: Kintsugiberlin offers repair services and regular workshops — take a look at their website.