Guys, I don’t mean to alarm you, but winter starts in less than two weeks. It honestly feels like just yesterday that we were sunning ourselves on the beach and writing about how to avoid inner-thigh chafing in summer. At this time of year, it’s tempting to dig a bum-sized groove in your couch, queue up 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls and hibernate under your blankie for the next three months. But in winter, it becomes even more important to ensure you’re getting enough sunshine, social activity and most importantly, exercise, to keep your mood from taking a nosedive. Thankfully, there’s plenty of fun events and new openings coming up around Australia to get you out of the house. These are our top picks!
Yoga at Vivid
While Sydneysiders mourn the chillier weather, there is a silver (or some would say, fluorescent) lining: it means Vivid isn’t far away. This year, the annual festival of Lights, Music and Ideas runs from 25th May to 16th June. While it’s worth doing a lap of the entire city in all its illuminated glory, we say one of the best ways to celebrate Vivid is with a truly ‘lit’ yoga session! On Friday 8 June at 7:15 pm, BodyMindLife will be teaming up with Lululemon and AMP for a magical practice overlooking the lights. Held on the 26th floor of the AMP Building in Circular Quay, the class will be led by three senior BodyMindLife teachers, Ari Levanael, Ange Mitchell and Sam Belyea, and students will move to the live beats of Soul Drummer with one of the best views of the incredible light show in the city.
The special event is free but due to interest, passes will be drawn via ballot. Entries can be made here.
Core+
Melbournites may be familiar with Core+, an innovative fitness concept that fuses together the best elements of yoga, Pilates and functional movement. With three gorgeous studios in Richmond, Hawthorn East and Malvern East, they offer everything from Hot Pilates and Kettlebell Yoga to Guns Buns + Tums, Barre Fusion and the signature Athletic Reformer Pilates class. Now, they’re opening their new fitness mecca in Port Melbourne and it looks like it’s set to be just as Insta-worthy as their existing studios. Swoon!
You can find out more about Core+ here.
Winter Night Markets
While ‘winter’ and ‘leaving the house at night’ don’t normally go together, we think we can make an exception for this occasion. From 6 June until 29 August, the winter night markets at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne will be back to warm up your evenings. There will be 30 global street food and drink stalls, 50 speciality and artisan stores, plus a weekly programme of entertainers and live performers. Among the foodie offerings are churros with oozy hazelnut sauce and vanilla ice-cream from Churro Kitchen, fresh pasta straight from the parmesan wheel of That’s Amore, and international award-winning paella from Simply Spanish. Oh, and there will be spiced mulled wine and hot apple cider to wash it all down with!
You can find out more about the Winter Night Markets here.
‘Wear Your Activewear To Work’ Day
I think we can all agree that the world would be a happier (and comfier!) place if we could all just wear our activewear to work. Alas, some offices have these crazy things called ‘appropriate dress codes.’ But never fear, Aussie activewear brand Lorna Jane has got our back—they’re campaigning for our right to wear leggings at work. On Friday 25th May, they’re launching Australia’s first ever Fit Friday, a day where all workplaces are encouraged to wear activewear to work. All you need to do is wear your leggings and trainers to work and encourage your workmates to do the same. Need to get your boss on board? Just tell them that research shows that wearing activewear makes employees happier, healthier and more productive.
W1LL Studio
Let’s be honest—most of us should be doing more meditation and yoga. But who really feels like getting up before work to do it when it’s cold? We’d much prefer to get our zen on in a heated, cutely-decorated studio. And if you happen to live in Sydney (or are visiting), we’ve got just the thing for you. The recently opened W1ll studio in St Leonards (their second—they already have a location in Surry Hills) is a yoga and meditation hub where you can disconnect from the chaos of life. From their gorgeous lounge area where you can enjoy a Rabbit Hole tea to their dimly lit studios with live and guided classes on the large screen and TVs, the whole experience is so dreamy you won’t ever want to leave.
You can learn more about W1ll studio here.
Yogala Workshops
It’s no secret that we’re low-key obsessed with Yogala studio in Sydney. We love the fact that the Maroubra-based studio goes above and beyond the usual yoga class offerings with their innovative workshops. In the next month alone, they’ve got a Myofascial Release Workshop on Sunday 27th May, a Meditation course on Tuesdays from 5th to 26th June and Winter Yin Masterclass on Satuday 2nd June.
You can find out more about Yogala’s workshops here.
