Top 10 Tips for Freelancers in Berlin (Part One)

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What do English teachers, massage therapists, graphic designers, yoga instructors, translators and in-home care workers have in common? In Germany, these professions (and dozens more) are increasingly done by selbständig (freelance) workers. This is a relatively new phenomenon, and there are a lot of complicated aspects of doing freelance work.

We teach English and Spanish yoga classes in Kreuzberg, and many of our students are expats in Berlin; many of them are freelancers, and everyone in our collective has extensive experience freelancing; so, we put two and two together and decided to develop this blog as a free resource, in English, to help people navigate the (often confusing) terrain of Selbständigkeit in Deutschland!  Many freelancers in Berlin are precarious workers, so this blog is dedicated to their needs.

Recent studies have shown that there are over 1.1 million freelance workers in Germany who make less than the state’s proposed minimum wage (i.e., less than 8.50e per hour). This situation dates back to Gerhard Schröder’s Agenda 2010 economic reform.  Since Agenda 2010, economic inequality has risen in Germany and working conditions have plummeted. It’s a criminal situation–but it’s totally legal! So we would like to share with you about what we have learned, to help make it a bit easier…

Disclaimer: we’re yoga teachers, not accountants or lawyers; if you need more detailed information, please visit free legal counseling services or join a union like the FAU or Ver.di and get their help!

Tips for low-earning freelancers…

1) If you’re an EU citizen, you’re entitled to income support from the Jobcentre. The Jobcentres have recently been sending letters to non-German Europeans and telling them that they have no right to Hartz IV benefits (which comprise of money, health insurance and your rent every month). This is illegal–as both the European Court in Brussels and the German Bundessozialgericht have recently confirmed. Hartz IV is a lot of bureaucracy, work and stress, but, if you’re up against the wall, it can help you a lot. We recommend a visit to the following independent and free sources of information:

2) Whether you’re an EU citizen or not, if you are legally living in Berlin, you’re entitled to the Housing Benefit (Wohngeld). As a freelancer, it’s tricky because you need to give them a prognosis of your earnings in order for them to calculate your need. You also need to be officially registered where you live, and have a rent contract. The following counseling services can help you with the forms:

 

These links and resources should get you started.  Don’t miss the second part of this informative blog, coming out next week with the rest of these great tips.

Shatkarma Workshop: Yogic Detox

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This weekend English Yoga Berlin hosts a very special event.  As the summer kicks off, we want to support our students in cleansing their bodies and minds, bringing balance to their systems and learning something new!

Our Shatkarma Workshop is an opportunity to clean your body and your mind of the stuff that makes you sluggish.  It is also a step in the right direction to create meaningful change in your life, dropping habits that have nothing to do with the You of today in favour of a lifestyle that better reflects who you want to be.

We have decided to keep the price of this workshop on a sliding scale, as a gesture to our dedicated students and those who want to discover the possibilities of yoga.  So, come along and explore some of the most powerful cleansing methods yoga has to offer.

– When:  Saturday 17th May (10h-13h) and Sunday 18th May (10h-13h).

– Where:  English Yoga Berlin

– How Much:  35-50 euros, sliding-scale.

New Year News: Workshops, Classes and Babies, oh my!

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English Yoga in Berlin

English Yoga Berlin

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.”

– Victor Hugo

Welcome to a brand-new year!  We wish you a healthy and happy 2014, full of laughter and learning.

Our collective is very excited about the beginning of 2014: we have opened new morning classes, will offer a deep-cleansing workshop and are celebrating the arrival of a special and very small new member of the EYB community!

New Morning Classes

To help you keep your New Year’s Resolutions, we will be offering Yoga on Friday mornings. From 10am until 11h45, Pedro will offer Classical Yoga. Each class includes yoga asana (poses), breathing exercises (pranayama), deep relaxation and Yoga Nidra. Yoga on Friday mornings is an ideal way to relax and prepare for a great weekend! Check out this and other classes on our schedule.

Shatkarma Workshop: Yogic Detox

Over the weekend of January 18/19, our collective will be offering a yogic detox, cleansing and self-care workshop! In this workshop, you’ll learn a range of detoxifying practices that you can use to bring balance to your body and clear toxins and stress. You can see more detailed information here.

Community Class Re-Schedules

Our collective’s popular Community Class has moved to Fridays at 12.15pm.  This is a donation-based class  that we offer for people in low-income situations or those who cannot otherwise afford our regular classes.  It is guided by a different teacher each week and is part of our collective’s commitment to accessibility. For more information check out What is a Community Class?

Yoga Mom

Zoe has Landed!

Our Pinelopi has given birth to a healthy and gorgeous baby girl!  Zoe arrived last October to the delight of her proud parents and the cheers of all of us at English Yoga Berlin.  Pinelopi’s maternity leave will continue for a little while longer, as mother and child get to know each other and enjoy this very special time together.

We are looking forward to a full year of offering Hatha yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Classical Yoga and Restorative yoga classes in Kreuzberg. We would like to, once more, extend our appreciation and gratitude to the wonderful community of yogis who practice with us at English Yoga Berlin! Your presence and contributions transform our Kreuzberg studio into a place of belonging and community. Thank you for your practice and your dedication!

New Year’s Message from English Yoga Berlin

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I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.  Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.  So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.  Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.  Make your mistakes, next year and forever. – Neil Gaiman

In order to help you stick to your resolutions, we start the year with a new class, specially for those who prefer morning yoga:

Friday 10am – Classical Yoga

and a new schedule for our popular community Class

Friday 12h15 – Donation Based, a different style each week.

Consult our schedule for more details.

We wish all of you, the EYB community, a healthy, happy and brimful 2014.  May your mistakes lead to achievements, and may your achievements lead you to dare making more mistakes.

December got you wrapped up in stressful knots?

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Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Yule, or Dōngzhì, or no religious-cultural festival at all, the month of December in the Northern Hemisphere can be a stressful time of year. Winter is starting to hit hard, the hours of light dwindling down to their shortest, and the temperature is dropping. Additional stresses can wear us down; such as family or work social obligations, exams, deadlines, trip-planning, depleting finances, and attempts at tying up our own loose ends or goals for the year. Our hibernation impulse kicks in, and we want to stay inside where it’s warm and snack on comfort food.

Acknowledge your stress

Sometimes we can get so caught up in all these activities we don’t realize we’re wearing ourselves down or getting irritated in the process. Once you acknowledge and recognize that stress is indeed affecting your mood or sleep cycle, you can give yourself permission to slow down, take breaks or drop things with less priority. It may seem counter-productive to schedule more things in, but adding some regular breaks, and things that are for ‘you’ to your schedule, will make the other stressful items on your list seem easier. You can look forward to the little present you give yourself – your Friday evening acupuncture session or swing dance class.

Eat Hearty Warm Food

Being on the go all the time can deplete our resources and zap our body of nutrition. It’s more important than ever during stressful times to eat well. There are a lot of sweet treats around this time of year, which fill us up without providing nutrition. Depending on where you live, you might also feel more dehydrated because of cold weather. Also, according to Ayurvedic nutrition, our bodies need more Vata energy during the cold winter months. They recommend eating more heated root vegetables, rather than raw salads. You can save time by making large batches of soup or stew. If you spend most of your time away from home glass jars can provide a DIY alternative to a thermos in order to carry around your delicious hearty lunch.

Breath and Movement

Outdoor activities in the cold can be quite exhilarating if you’re prepared for it. Wrap yourself up in a warm scarf and wear loose clothing made with natural fibres. One misconception most people have in countering the cold is to hunch their shoulders up by their ears and round forwards. This actually makes us colder! If you open up your chest and drop your shoulders down, your lung capacity increases and allows more oxygen to enter and warm up your body! If you breathe deeply and slowly or take slight pauses as you hold the breath in, it helps to keep the warm air in longer. Keep your body moving by riding a bike or walking quickly. And when you reach your destination do some gentle stretches to come back to the warmth of the inside temperature.

Regenerate

A regular yoga or meditation practice helps to recuperate us from stress. Keep going to your yoga class, despite your busy schedule. Or even add a new one!

Take advantage of our special offers this month at English Yoga Berlin – bring a friend for free to our slow and rejuvenating Restorative and Classical yoga classes.

And remember, as the daylight hours grow shorter, the actual Winter Solstice on December 21st is approaching, which means the daylight hours will start to increase again!

And as the New Year is shortly upon us, so is our new yoga schedule for 2014.

December Offers + Winter Break

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………………………………………………….

“When there’s snow on the ground, I like to pretend I’m walking on clouds.”

-Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata (Animal Crossing: Wild World, 2005)

 

As the days grow colder and shorter, and the festive gift-giving season approaches, we present you (our community of dedicated and enthusiastic yogis) with a month full of offers & news. Below you will find a special deal to de-stress, a gift idea, free taster classes and information about our end of year break. We at English Yoga Berlin are looking forward to a month of relaxing yoga amidst the end of year chaos and shuffle. Hope you will join us!

Give the Gift of Yoga

At a loss for a festive gift? Do you know someone close to you who would like to try yoga?
Buy two or more gift certificates for 10€ each, one for 12€. Each card is individually printed and sent by post if you wish. Contact us here to place your order by email, or talk to one of our teachers at the studio.

Special Offer: Slow Down + Bring a Friend

To alleviate your end of year and holiday stress, we encourage you to slow down throughout the month of December by offering you a special deal. Bring a friend for free to one of our slow, meditative, relaxing and rejuvenating Classical or Restorative classes.

FREE Tasters for new Course

We’re offering two free tasters for a new 10-week course, Classical Yoga for Swing Dancers, that begins in January. Not exclusively for dancers, but open to anyone who would like to develop their balance, body awareness and concentration. Drop in to one of these sessions to get more info and to sign up.

Wednesday Dec. 11 at 19:00h
Friday Dec. 13 at 19:00h

Holiday Closure

Our last class for this year will be on Sunday December 22. We will reopen again in the new year on Thursday January 2. Click here for our current schedule.

Free (or Cheap) Health and Wellness in Berlin

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free or cheap wellness in Berlin

In Germany, everyone is legally supposed to have health insurance. Unfortunately, it is not a universal health care system: rather, insurance is verdammnt expensive and is only available to documented people—and the most recent estimates suggest that up to 1 million undocumented migrants are living in Germany. In addition, there are plenty of people who have health needs which are not covered by their insurance. That is a lot of people with their health needs not getting met. What a stupid situation! What dumb laws! (If you’re trying to find your way through it, you can read more here.) 

And they wonder why we feel like fuck the law…

Anyway, so, there is a lot of demand for cheap or free health services in Berlin, especially in languages other than German. We see this a lot at English Yoga Berlin, because so many of our students are new migrants or expats in Germany and they often feel disoriented and uncertain. It often takes a long time to find what you need in a new country, and online lists make things easier! Teaching yoga in Berlin has brought us into contact with a lot of cool, free or cheap health services available. We teach yoga in Kreuzberg, so we’ve highlighted services in that area. And we offer yoga in English, so we’ve tried to find services that are English-speaking, too.

So here is our list…

The Gesundheitsamt system in Berlin offers a series of free clinics. They are usually really crowded but it only costs 10euro and you can get STI testing, dentistry, pregnancy tests, psychiatric help etc. You do need to bring some kind of identification but you don’t need insurance, and they’re legally obligated to keep your data private. Make sure you arrive early, because you will have to wait for a couple of hours. If you can, bring a German speaking friend or support person. You can see all of the various clinics and their opening hours and specialities here (in German). 

The Selbstverwaltete Heilpraktikerschule (Autonomous Naturopath Training Programme) at the Bethanien offers some cool free or low-cost services. They have a Massage Abend where you can get a back, foot or shiatsu massage for 5euro (schedule here). They also do affordable homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine consultations on Mondays and Fridays.

Berlin Community Akupunktur offers sliding scale acupuncture (17e to 35e).

Friedelpraxis is a collective that offers non-commercialized osteopathy andTCM (traditional Chinese medicine) in Berlin. To become a member of the practice, you choose a fixed monthly rate that you can pay. You can get in touch and make an arrangement with one or more of the folks in the collective.

Every Wednesday from 11h until 13, Autocuratio offers Natural healing advice and treatment (nutritional advice, ear acupuncture, massage, spinal adjustment) at Zielona Gora (Gruenbergerstr 73).

The Berliner Krisen Dienst offers emergency mental health counselling that is anonymous and multilingual. You can ring them anytime, and here are the phone numbers.

Multilingual, free peer counselling for women is available at women’s centres like Paula Panke, Schokofabrik, Frieda and EWA. You can see a whole list here.

The FFGZ in Schoeneberg (Feminist Health Centre for Women) offers counselling and other health resources. They specialize in reproductive and women’s health.

Health and wellbeing is strongly linked to relaxation, and that is why saunas are so amazing and important. You might feel a bit uncomfortable at first with the naked part, but you’ll get used to it. The Berlin Baederbetriebe has an amazing array of saunas and pools. If you have some cash to drop, the Liquidrom is a cool, salt water based spa and sauna.

Heile Haus e.V. is a former squat that is now a grassroots community health centre. They offer workshops, individual consultations, sports and dance, language courses, a little cafe and a bathroom/shower/washing machine area that people can use.

Another very good resource for people with longer term medical conditions is the ARTABANA network. It’s a decentralized non profit network of medical health professionals and other healers who provide free, confidential services all across Deutschland for those without insurance, or without adequate insurance. The Medibuero fuer Fluchtlinge is a network of medical professionals that treat refugees and undocumented people free and anonymously.

We offer Hatha Yoga in English, Vinyasa Yoga in English, Restorative Yoga in English and Classical Yoga in English and Spanish. All of these classes are available for a reduced price—just ask one of us at the studio. If you know of other cheap or free health services in Berlin, please let us know and we will add them to this list!

New to Berlin? You are not alone.

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One of the most interesting parts of our Yoga Studio in Kreuzberg is meeting expats from all over the world. New students arrive to a class early, and we sometimes get the chance to talk with them about their experience of being new in Berlin. It’s always humbling and interesting, hearing fresh perspectives and reliving our own migration journeys. Here is some stuff we have learned…

 

Stress Is Part of the Package…

Moving somewhere new is inherently stressful. It’s also exciting, funny and thought-provoking. The stress you feel is your body and mind struggling to keep up with so much newness! Everyone feels it differently: some people will say that they feel angry, exhausted, sad, anxious or lonely, and others simply can’t sleep, can’t eat or can’t stop moving. 

 

And So Are Setbacks and Curveballs…

Your life here is going to look different than what you expected. In fact, that would be true no matter where you were! But it will be clearer here. Adjusting will take some time, and in the meantime you will surprise yourself with the new challenges you seek out and the new risks that you take.

 

But You Can Deal With It…

Now is the time to pull out all of your self-care secret weapons! Make time to Skype with friends and family back home. Do your best to eat a nourishing, healthy diet and make sure you leave room for comfort food from back home. Seek out green, peaceful environments (we recommend the greenhouses at the Botanical Gardens) and the company of animals. Make your wellbeing a priority – whatever that means for you. Sauna, yoga, and sleep- whatever it takes. And, as always, don’t forget to breathe.

 

And You’re Not the Only One.

This is often the hardest part–feeling like you’re doing it all alone. Well, you aren’t! There are plenty of new folks here and they are also looking for friends. Socialize, meet lots of people and put effort into creating friendships and community that will support you. Take classes and join groups, and know that, once you have just one good friend, you will feel about a million times better.

 

For help with your transition, check out our Wellness resources in English.  As teachers of a very international yoga community–and as migrants ourselves–we are happy to support you in taking care of yourself and growing into your new life here.

 

See you on the mat!

¿Qué es el Yoga Clásico?

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Opciones.  El mundo moderno está saturado de opciones.  Hace un par de décadas, bastaba con pedir un café con leche.  Hoy debemos elegir entre latte machiatto, capuccino, cortado, cafe au lait, espresso con panna, etc.  Lo mismo sucede con el yoga.  Existe hoy día docenas de estilos y sub-estilos, algunos de tan reciente invención que la tinta con que se registraron aún está húmeda.

El yoga clásico busca re-descubrir el yoga tradicional, alejándose de las interpretaciones modernas para destilar la esencia de esta antiquísima ciencia.  En el camino nos encontramos con algo fundamentalmente práctico: un conjunto de métodos para mejorar nuestra calidad de vida, un menú de herramientas para hacer frente a los retos cotidianos.

La manera relajada y sosegada en que se realizan los ejercicios hace este sistema apto para aquellos que nunca antes han conocido el yoga; mientras que la forma profunda y exhaustiva en la que se considera el ser humano, tiene mucho que ofrecer a los más experimentados.

El nombre de “clásico” se deriva de las posturas que enfatiza este estilo: las posturas clásicas.  Existen millones de poses (8,400,000 según algunos textos antiguos); el yoga clásico subraya la práctica de las posturas que se consideran más efectivas desde el punto de vista holístico; teniendo en cuenta no sólo los músculos y articulaciones, no sólo los tejidos y órganos internos, sino todo el cuerpo.

Pero al acercarnos a este estilo de yoga, pronto nos damos cuenta de que se trata de más que sólo posturas y ejercicios físicos.  Una sesión de yoga clásico incluye ejercicios de respiración, técnicas de relajación profunda, métodos meditativos y de concentración, y varias otras herramientas que, complementándose recíprocamente, contribuyen al desarrollo integral de la persona.

Nuestras clases de yoga clásico en español tratan de ser lo suficientemente amplias y profundas para permitirte explorar y descubrir todas las facetas de este completo y efectivo sistema.  Lee más en nuestra página Yoga en Español.

Guest teacher Anastasia Shevchenko comes to our next Community Class

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Anastasia’s yoga journey started over 10 years ago.  Throughout her growth as a yogi, she has experienced many different yoga styles, which she credits with deepening her understanding of the essence of yoga.

“In my personal practice and in my teachings, I enjoy combining static postures held for a prolonged period of time (Hatha-style) with more dynamic exercises, synchronized with the breath (Vinyasa-style). Both types of exercises have their distinct benefits on the physical, psychological, and mental wellbeing.”

On our next Community Class at English Yoga Berlin, she will guide a yoga lesson that everybody can relate to, with postures that build core strength, increase flexibility in the limbs, and relax the body and the mind. The class is open to students of all levels and abilities.
WHEN?    Thursday 21st November, 2013 (15.45 – 17.15)

WHERE?   English Yoga Berlin – Görlitzer Str. 39, Kreuzberg

HOW MUCH? Donation based / Pay What you Can