[non-paid advertisement as I point out a great business owned by an Expat in Stuttgart]

I was SO excited when Heli, the lovely owner of My Pilates Place (and a dear friend since 2018 when she moved to Stuttgart and booked my Local Buddy Service) told me that she has finally found a place for her equipment Pilates studio. I have tried Pilates before but never with equipment. All I’ve heard about equipment Pilates classes sounded great so I was eager to try it myself. I booked a private introductory session last Monday with Heli and was very excited.

My Pilates Place is located right in the center of Stuttgart-Vaihingen, at Hauptstraße 19 (same building as Children’s English Library is in) and can thus be reached easily with public transport (Bus stop and U-Bahn stop Vaihingen Schillerplatz are close by). When you arrive by car, the public garage at Schwagengalerie is a good option.

Heli welcomed me at the door of her studio and showed me around. There is a lovely little waiting area when you enter the studio, then a room with the Pilates equipment and finally a changing room and toilet. I changed into my workout clothes and was ready for the session.

We started on a device called the Cadillac where Heli showed me some exercises that are good for the lower back, the upper back and pelvis. It felt SO good working out again after such a long time (well, I have been running during the winter months to stay active but working on your strength and your muscles is definitely something else).

Then we moved to the reformer. As it was my first time working with Pilates equipment I needed to find out how to use it. But here comes Heli’s great guidance into play. She is a very ensuring and professional teacher who guides you through all the exercises with good care and a lot of empathy.

I ended up LOVING the reformer. I felt that I have been working with muscles that I haven’t used properly for a while but I never felt overwhelmed during the training. Plus, it is quite a funny feeling using it – you have to try if for yourself!

Time flew and when my 50 minutes session was over I thought I was working with Heli for only 10 minutes.

What can I say? The Pilates bug has bit me 🙂 I couldn’t imagine what a difference it makes using the Pilates equipment compared to a “normal” Pilates class. I’ve decided to continue working with Heli at My Pilates Place on a regular basis and a mix of private sessions and small group equipment classes (maximum 3 trainees! That is nearly private, too, isn’t it :-)) So maybe I see you in my next class?! 😀

Oh, and by the way: This is wonderful Heli from My Pilates Place in Stuttgart-Vaihingen without a mask 🙂

More information:

My Pilates Place in Stuttgart-Vaihingen
Private sessions and small group equipment classes with a maximum of 3 trainees.
All classes are given in English.

Hauptstraße 19
70563 Stuttgart
Tel: 0178-261-1180 (also on WhatsApp & Signal)
Email: hallo@mypilatesplace.de

www.mypilatesplace.de

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[Sponsored Post]

The studio where Stef is offering her English Meditation class in Stuttgart is located in a lovely old building. You have to walk through a lush garden first until you find the door and enter. The meditation room is big and open, the light is dim and you feel that this is a place of relaxation instantaneously.

Stef came to the door to greet me with a warm welcome. She is full of energy but at the same time there is something soothing about her presence that makes you feel calm right away.

I changed into more comfy clothes and sat down on a mat on the floor. Stef had prepared two different pillows for me to sit on and I could try which one felt better. I was even offered a nice cup of tea which I was drinking while she explained the concept of her meditation class to me.

Stef guides through the meditation with her soft voice, giving you friendly instructions like “focus on your breathing” and “follow the air in your body” which help you concentrate on these simple exercises. The meditation is supported by relaxing background music which I liked a lot, as it also helped me focus. Moreover, in every class Stef will introduce a new topic. For my class it was “living in the present”. What is important to Stef: There is no right or wrong when it comes to meditation. Everything that feels good to you in this moment IS good for you. She even encourages you to change position during the meditation if you start feeling uncomfortable, or cover yourself in a blanket (which she has thoughtfully placed next to your mat) when you feel cold. I’ve always thought the rules for meditation are very strict and that you should not move while meditating so I was quite relieved. I even changed my position once at the end of the class and didn’t feel weird about doing so.

Stef’s English meditation class in Stuttgart starts with her encouraging you to write down whatever is on your mind in that moment. This is something I’ve never heard of before but it was a very nice idea. At the beginning you might not know what to write (and Stef will ensure you that not writing anything is just as fine!) but once you start, you might not be able to stop 🙂 That’s at least how I felt. There are so many things going on in our minds every second. This exercise helps you to put down any thoughts that might bug you at that point in time. And with writing them down you allow your mind to let go of them so that it is free for the meditation. For me, it absolutely worked.

Then Stef began guiding me through the meditation exercises. I’ve never done much meditation before, despite some additional minutes at the end of a yoga class I was taking. But that was about it! Sitting still and concentrating on your breathing for 45 minutes always seemed like something I wouldn’t be able to do. But guess what? When the meditation came to an end I didn’t want it to stop! It felt so good. I was really relaxed, my whole body was soft and warm and I felt very comfy on my mat and pillow. I could have seriously continued on for another hour.

The English meditation class in Stuttgart ended as it began: picking up pen and paper and writing down what was your mind following the meditation. It felt like closing the loop. I can imagine that there will be days you come in with a question that has been on your mind for days and at the end of the class you will have found the answer. In my case on that day I just wrote down that I feel very happy and in balance with myself and that I will be back for more classes 🙂

Who benefits from Stef’s English meditation class in Stuttgart?

When the class was over I had the opportunity to talk to Stef for a little while. I was curious to find out who benefits most from her English meditation class from her point of view. She explained to me that in the end, meditation is for everybody and for any levels. In our fast moving, highly digitalized world, finding peace of mind is something everyone benefits from. Her classes are designed to suit newcomers as well as people who are experienced with meditation already, as her approach is her unique style and will offer a new experience to any participants.

As you guys know, I am pregnant in the third trimester and I can tell you that the meditation felt really, really good even in this state. And I can imagine that pregnant women benefit highly from meditation in general. Pregnancy often comes with some form of anxiety. You hope the baby is fine, you wonder how the birth will be and much more. This can really drive you crazy and prevent you from falling asleep at night or make you uneasy and restless during the day. Sitting down and concentrating on nothing but your breathing can help you escape these thoughts – whilst at the beginning you may only get in control of your thoughts during the class, the more you meditate the more you will learn the skill to manage those beyond the classroom environment.

Last but not least, apart from her English meditation class in Stuttgart Stef also offers a meditation class in French in the same studio in Stuttgart! As Stef herself is a French citizen from Guadeloupe, I am sure her guided meditation is at least as good in French as it is in English 🙂

Where and when do the classes take place?

The classes are held every Thursday mornings. The Studio is only 10 min away by bus from Stuttgart main station. To sign-up for a class please do so directly via her meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/de-DE/Reboot-meditation

Weekly classes on Thursday mornings:

• Early bird class in English at 6.30am
• French class at 9.15am
• English class at 10.30am

Additional classes and workshops (all events are listed on the Reboot Meditation Meetup page):

Often Stef offers meditation classes on Sundays late morning.
She also offers workshops to dive deeper into certain topics like Self-Compassion.

Location:
Yoga & Pilates in der galerie
Friedenstraße 12
70190 Stuttgart
Bus 42, stop: Friedenstraße
Underground stop: Neckartor
From Stuttgart main station: only 10 min by bus

More about Stef

Stef is a bilingual meditation guide and a Life-Transition Coach specialized in the relationship that we have with ourselves. Stef is from Guadeloupe (a beautiful island in the French Caribbean). After having lived many years in Europe, the US and Switzerland, she has finally set her new home in Stuttgart in early 2019 and is now starting to offer French and English meditation classes in Stuttgart.

Find out more about Stef on her website: stephanielantin.com

Stef is also on Instagram: www.instagram.com/steflantin

Picture credit title photo: Sandra Ruth Photography

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My top 5 spas in Stuttgart

5. MineralBad Cannstatt

MineralBad Cannstatt feed the pools, the Russian-Roman steam bath and the mineral sauna. There are two indoor and outdoor pools with water temperatures around 30 °C. One outdoor pool is filled with lightly bubbly water around 18 °C and there are whirlpools with temperatures around 36 °C. Next to the pools, MineralBad Cannstatt offers four saunas and the steam bath in the 1.200 m² wellness area. They even have a meditation sauna! If you’re looking for deep relaxation, MineralBad Cannstatt is your spa in Stuttgart!

4. Schwabenquellen

Visiting the Schwabenquellen in Stuttgart-Möhringen is like stepping into a dream world. On 7.000 m² you will be able to visit 18 different countries and cultures: For example, there is a Caribbean lagoon, an Icelandic Geysir-pool ad a jungle whirlpool, a Canadian blockhouse sauna, a Balinese herb sauna,  a Tibetan meditation sauna,  an Oriental steam bath, a Roman laconium, … OK, I stop here. But believe me, there’s even more. If you need a break, several relaxation areas await you: the Africa lodge, the Maya temple, the Japanese lodge and so on. And if this is not enough, you can also choose from a great variety of massages and cosmetic treatments. But there’s one thing you need to know about Schwabenquellen: This is a naturist spa, so no bathing suits are allowed, you need to be naked. But don’t worry if naturism is not your thing: every first Saturday of the month is what they call “Textile Day” and you’re allowed to wear a bathing suit or bikini. If you’re looking for a getaway from reality, Schwabenquellen is your spa in Stuttgart!

3. DAS Leuze Mineralbad

The mineral bath DAS Leuze is a combination of a mineral bath, public pool and outdoor pool. It is very family friendly as there is an area designated to small children: The “Kinderland LEUZE” covers an area of some 600 square metres and includes a paddling pool for the youngest visitors and a non-swimmers’ pool with a depth of 40 to 80 cm for older children.The eight swimming and bathing pools and over 1700 square metres of water area in the in- and outdoor mineral pools are fed by three mineral springs. On an area of 3300 m² you can enjoy 14 different saunas. The highlight is the Panorama sauna where you get a first-class view of view of the Neckar and the surrounding vineyards while sweating. If you’re looking for a family friendly wellness day, DAS Leuze is your spa in Stuttgart!

2. Mineral-Bad Berg

Even though this bath is closed for renovation at the moment, I have to put it on this list as it is one of my favorite spas in Stuttgart: Mineral-Bad Berg is a very special gem and actually the oldest public pool in Stuttgart. It’s history goes back to 1856 and it used to be the biggest pool fed by mineral water in Germany for ages. Five mineral springs feed the four indoor and the big outdoor pools. Because of the huge amount of fresh water chlorination or upheaval is unnecessary. Locals love this bath because of its retro looks and charm. There is a general renovation going on at the moment and it won’t be open for the public before 2019. But make sure to put it on your bucket-list once it opens again.

1. Mineraltherme Böblingen

My favorite spa is actually not located in Stuttgart but just outside the city boarders, in Böblingen. I’ve written about Mineraltherme Böblingen twice already so if you want to know why I love this place so much, check out my articles from 2014 and from 2015!

Have you visited one of these spas already? And what is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments.

More information:

MineralBad Cannstatt

Schwabenquellen (English bookelt, PDF download)

Schwabenquellen (website, only in German)

DAS Leuze Mineralbad

Mineral-Bad Berg (only in German)

Mineraltherme Böblingen (only in German)

This post contains non-paid advertisement. I point out these spas in Stuttgart because I like them personally. I did not get paid to do so. Paid content is always highlighted as such on Living in Stuttgart

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 Calisthenics are a form of street workout consisting of a variety of natural movements like running, standing, grasping, pushing and so on. You mainly use your body weight to do the exercises. The equipment you find in a calisthenics park, for example monkeyladders, bars and poles, only helps you to increase your performance. The parks I point out in this post are all open for everybody and free of charge so no more excuses not to perform calisthenics in Stuttgart ;-).

Maxim is a fitness-instructor-to-be (check out his fun and inspiring Instagram profile!) and showed me some very effective exercises. 

Then it was my turn. Don’t get fooled by the smile on my face. We took the pictures at the very beginning of the workout. I had to dig in deep afterwards.

If you want to check out the calisthenics park in Stuttgart-Degerloch, here’s the address:

LAC-Stadion, Bopseräcker 4-5, 70597 Stuttgart

The park is open every day. Sometimes sport groups have a reservation. To find out more check out the website of LAC Degerloch and open the pdf named “Belegungsplan”.

If you live in the north of Stuttgart, the calisthenics park in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen might be more convenient for you:

Sersheimer Str. 31, 70437 Stuttgart

Their website states that the park offers chin-up-bars, parallel bars, low bars and a monkeyladder.

And then there’s the calisthenics park at Südheimer Platz in the south of Stuttgart:

Südheimer Platz, 70199 Stuttgart

When I was there recently I noticed amongst others: a climbing pole, headstand-bars, low bars, a monkeyladder and push-up-bars.

Have you ever tried calisthenics in Stuttgart in one of these parks? How did you like them?

If you want to read more about fitness in Stuttgart, check out these older posts:

Introductory class at CrossFit Animarum in Stuttgart

Functional Fitness in Stuttgart

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For those of you who haven’t heard of CrossFit yet, or only have a vague idea what it might be (as I did before I visited CrossFit Animarium in Stuttgart), here’s a brief definition:

CrossFit focuses on strength and condition alike. The workouts include aspects of weightlifting, gymnastics, running, rowing and more and are based on functional movements. The athletes (yep, as soon as you start practicing CrossFit, you can call yourself proudly an athlete :-)) use gear from various disciplines like barbells, gymnastics rings, jump ropes, kettlebells and such. Intensity is essential and it is measured in work divided by time or by power. What makes CrossFit special for me is the idea of community and training in small groups. You cheer when someone has scored a personal record and your trainer doesn’t only know your name but also all your weak points and he or she coaches you how you can get better every day.

I didn’t know what would await me when I stepped into the CrossFit box (yep, box, not studio :-)) in Stuttgart-Stammheim. A group was already lifting weights and it looked super exhausting to me. I observed them for a minute, then my trainer for the intro, Xavier, came up to me. He explained the concept of CrossFit and what makes it so special and different from a normal workout in a gym. Then it was time to get active. We started with some exercises to get warm (rowing was included, too, but I forgot to get a picture)…

… before it was time to learn some new techniques. Have you ever worked with kettlebells? I haven’t. So you can imagine how strange those things looked to me at first.

Xavier showed us how to swing them properly and we worked on this movement for a while.

It felt strange swinging this heavy ball but I noticed some muscles, I didn’t even know I had. It’s always good to try something new! 🙂

Push-ups were next. I am used to doing “lady-push-ups” where you are on your knees, not on your toes (and I even struggle with them! :-)). But in CrossFit, there is no such thing as lady-whatever.  However, if you can’t do them on the ground, there is a box you can use. It helped a lot!

A usual CrossFit class is one hour long and finishes with a stretching part. As this was an introduction and our trainer Xavier answered all of our questions not only patiently but also passionately, we came to the stretching part after two hours 🙂

The intro class at Crossfit Animarum in Stuttgart was definitely great! Xavier is a knowledgeable instructor and CrossFit is definitely an amazing workout. If you want to try it for yourself, the intro classes take place on Thursdays and Saturdays and are always free. And here comes something for all my female readers : On November 3, CrossFit Animarum in Stuttgart organizes a special Ladies’ night: starting at 7:30 pm, an intro class only for women takes place with a goodie bag for all the participants!

Thank you Vale for inviting me to CrossfFit Animarum in Stuttgart-Stammheim and thank you Xavier for the great intro class!

Have you tried CrossFit already? How did you like it? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section 🙂

More information about:

CrossFit Animarum in Stuttgart-Stammheim

CrossFit in general

Transparency: CrossFit Animarum invited me to try their box for free. My opinion and the contend of this post were not influencd by that.

The post Introductory class at CrossFit Animarum in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

The idea of Functional Fitness is that you work only with your own body weight. So it’s the perfect program for outdoor classes. If you want to try Functional Fitness in Stuttgart, come to Tal der Rosen (Valley of the Roses) at Killesberg Park on a Sunday morning. It starts at 10 am (quite early, I know :-)) and lasts for one hour.

When you walk up to Tal der Rosen just look out for two beach flags – and lots of people in sports wear. You can’t miss it!

We started with some warming up exercises…

… before it got tougher. We were separated in two groups and worked on different parts of our body. I couldn’t walk without pain for three days afterwards! 🙂

It was a great workout and I had so much fun doing Functional Fitness in Stuttgart under the open sky! If you’re interested too, come to the special session on August 14! They try to set a new record and get together a few hundred people.

The free Functional Fitness class is provided by SportCodex and the City of Stuttgart. The idea behind it is to make more people do sports on a regular basis. What a great concept!

Have you ever tried Functional Fitness in Stuttgart? How did you like it? Or have you participated in any other classes offered by Sport im Park? Which are your favorite ones?

More information:

Sport im Park program (only in German)

Functional Fitness special event on August 14

Yoga at Sport im Park

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For the regular entrance fee, you can visit several indoor and outdoor pools with different water temperatures, four saunas and two steam baths at Mineral Spa Böblingen. You can even purchase a ticket for the “sauna garden”, a huge area, where you will find six additional saunas. I actually never went there because I hardly get to use all the pools and stuff that come with the regular ticket.

I love being in the spa, floating in the warm water and visiting the saunas… You just feel soooo deeply relaxed afterwards.

At the end, half an hour before I had to leave, I sat down in one of the deck chairs and nearly fell asleep

A great way to spend a rainy day!

What are you guys up to for Eastern?

More information about:

Mineral Spa Böblingen (only in German)

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I was quite a bit nervous in the morning of the run – don’t get fooled by this picture, the penguin that sneaked up into my pic, made me laugh

But once we started, it felt great. Moreover, the track is very easy, too. You only have to cross two bridges, the rest of the track is flat.

We were also very lucky, weather-wise. It rained cats and dogs before we started but then stopped and stayed dry and fresh.

And that’s me, after the run, exhausted and happy and very satisfied with my time of 46 minutes!

Did anyone else participate in the Stuttgart-Lauf 2014 or plans to do another run in or around Stuttgart this year? I would love to do one more. Maybe the Charity run “Secretary Run” which I did last year and liked very much.

More information about:

Stuttgart-Lauf 2014

The post Running 7 km at Stuttgart-Lauf 2014 appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

The water stems from a spring which is located 775 meter deep. It’s full of minerals and other stuff that makes you feel good and relaxed.

At Mineral Bath Böblingen you can choose between two outdoor and three indoor pools.

Moreover, at Mineral Bath Böblingen you can visit several saunas and  a steam bath. And if you upgrade your stay, there is a even bigger part only for sauna guests. But I have to admit, I’ve never been in there. I am totally fine with the five pools and sauna/steam bath section that are included in the normal entrance fee.

If you are like me and get hungry every time you spend time in the water, I can recommend the restaurant “Mimaris”. They serve fantastic food.

So if it’s true and winter’s coming back this weekend, you know where you can warm up now .

More information about:

Mineral Bath Böblingen (only in German)

The post Mineral Bath Böblingen – my favorite relaxing place appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

For all of you who are new to this blog, I participated in a charity run last Thursday called “Secretary Run”. It was a 5 km Funrun, starting at Stafflenbergstrasse and leading around Uhlandshöhe.

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It was quite a small event, I think we were around 35 runners. But it was a very relaxed atmosphere and everybody was in a good mood.

We were extremely lucky with the weather. Thursday was a rather cold and rainy day in Stuttgart. But the rain stopped five minutes before we started our run and at the end, even the setting sun came out to cheer us up on our last kilometer.

Here are some impressions from the track:

From Stafflenbergstrasse, you have a lovely view over Stuttgart. I wouldn’t mind living there..

The track led through very nice residential areas. I haven’t been in this part of Stuttgart very often in the past so the run included a bit of sightseeing as well.

As I said, it was a very small event so they haven’t blocked the streets, only put up these signs…

Here we come…

And that’s the view we got rewarded with on the finish line… nice, hum?!

I really enjoyed participating in the Secretary Run and I will definitely be in next year, too. I only hope they manage to motivate some more runners and thus raise more money for Brustkrebs Deutschland, that would be nice.

More information about:

Secretary Run (only in German)

Brustkrebs Deutschland e.V. (only in German)

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