[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

The post Tested: Equipment Pilates classes in Stuttgart-Vaihingen at “My Pilates Place” appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[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

The post Reboot yourself with an English Meditation class in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

We booked the class with “Alpine Welten” and drove to Blaubeuren last Friday. The class lasted two days, Saturday and Sunday. At 9 am we met our group and our guide Fabian. We were six people who took the class. At Alpine Welten, that’s the maximum number of pupils in one class and I liked that very much. There are a few rocks around Blaubeuren so we needn’t drive anywhere else but could start right away.

At first, Fabian explained the most important knots to us.

Then, the fun could begin. Man, was I nervous… And the reason for my nervousness was this wall:

Can you see the nose sticking out, right above the first carabiner? That was a really nasty point.

On the first day, our mission was “simply” to get on top of this rock…

OK, I can do this…

Let’s see, there’s the nose, nothing to hold on to or to step on… hmmm

Oh well, who cares about the style…

Hurray, not very ladylike but successful!

I made it! I made it to the top!! Wooohoooo!!

What do you mean with “You need to get down now”, Fabian??

Abseiling??!!!

Feels like Spiderman! Awesome!!

When I was back on the ground, I was so proud – and relieved!

We did some more abseiling on the afternoon, 25 meters to be precise. Very scary, too, but awesome when you made it.

On the second day, we learned how to use carabiner, how to abseil yourself and did some lead climbing. And of course, safeguarding was a big topic, too.

You can imagine how awesome I felt after these two days of my climbing class. I’m still afraid of heights, but now I know I can get over this feeling if I want to. And in my whole life, I never thought I would be the proud holder of a climbing license one day… But now… Tatatataaaa:

Did I mention that I am very proud?

One of our lovely class mates was thoughtful enough to bring sparkling wine on the second day so when we were finished and had all gotten our licenses, we were able to clink glasses on our achievements.

Thank you again, Thorsten! That was a fantastic idea!

Blaubeuren is only a one hour drive away from Stuttgart. Alpine Welten offers a variety of climbing classes, ice climbing, fixed rope routes and more. I can highly recommend booking a climbing class with them as I felt very safe with and well educated by our guide Fabian. For the near future, my friends and I decided to do some indoor climbing in Stuttgart. Either at Kletterzentrum Stuttgart at the Waldau or at Climbmaxx Stuttgart.

More information about:

Alpine Welten (only in German)

Kletterzentrum Stuttgart (only in German)

Climbmaxx Stuttgart (only in German)

The post A weekend full of fear and fun – climbing class in Blaubeuren appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.