Inside London's first meditation studio

The hottest new workout is all in the mind. Katie Strick has an exclusive look at London’s first meditation studio
Soul sisters: Carla von Anhalt and Yulia Kovaleva, the founders of Re:Mind studio

Carla von Anhalt and Yulia Kovaleva claim to have created the cleanest air in London. The walls of their bright, airy studio in Belgravia are fitted with plants chosen for their filtering qualities, the doors are made from reclaimed, chemical-free wood and the ceiling ventilates the room of dirty pollutants from the capital’s streets.

At the front, glowing Himalayan salt lamps cleanse the air of contaminants and dust. It’s a toxic-free space for busy Londoners to breathe.

Which is the point: this is London’s very first meditation studio, Re:Mind. When it opens next Monday, the drop-in well-being centre will offer eight different classes, from 30-minute energising sessions to longer, restorative gatherings for calming the mind. Re:Mind is built in the image of cities such as LA, where meditation studios have become integral to people’s daily routine, and they say it’s a response to Londoners’ growing use of mindfulness apps such as Headspace.

Apps are a good starting point, says von Anhalt, but they can become monotonous, and “meditation is much more powerful with other people”. The capital’s gyms and yoga studios do offer some meditation classes but they lack any kind of diversity, adds Kovaleva: usually, there’s just one type of meditation available, so you’re forced to “commit” to a certain one.

What Re:Mind offers is “the option to dabble”, says Kovaleva. “It’s the same as exercising the body — some people do running, some are more into spinning, others do yoga.” Exercising the mind works in a similar way. “You just have to find something that works for you.” Morning people can take their Re:Aim class, which focuses on good intentions for the day ahead, or Re:Spire, which aims to energise using breathing techniques. Others prefer a more social type of meditation: Re:Heal is a group meditation class using ancient healing traditions, while Re:Sound is a group sound healing session using a gong and crystal bowls. First-timers can pay £10 for their first class, while drop-in classes cost £22. You can buy packs of five, 10 or 20, and unlimited membership is £150 a month for all the classes.

Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd

Sessions are suitable for everyone —whether you’re a seasoned meditator or finally trying to find your zen. First-timers are invited to take a complimentary Re:Start class, which combines talks on the background of the tradition with basic meditation exercises. Clients are then encouraged to try different sessions and take an online questionnaire that tells you which is the best class for you based on how much time you have and whether you’re a morning or evening person.

As with going to the gym, how and when people fit meditation into their lives is a personal choice, says Kovaleva, so there will be a full class schedule at all times of day, with longer, more creative workshops at weekends. Von Anhalt prefers to meditate in the mornings, while Kovaleva says she chooses to do hers after a workout.

Re:Mind is in a prime location for fitness buffs who also want some time to breathe: cult gym Barry’s Bootcamp’s fourth studio, Barry’s SW1, is just metres away in Victoria’s shiny new Ecclestone Yards development next door, so it’s the perfect place to focus the senses after pounding the treadmill.

Just like Barry’s et al, Kovaleva and von Anhalt hope that meditation will become an integral part of Londoners’ routines. Their new boutique studio has the feel of a boutique gym: there are lockers, an on-site juice bar (Re:Mind is the only one in town to stock organic Presscription cold-pressed juices. Instead of a post-class protein smoothie, there’s a station for blending your own tea using mixtures of herbs and leaves. The organic studio blend is locally sourced and mixes fennel and mint with lemon balm.

Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd

You can also buy a range of sustainable, plastic-free wellness products, including branded tote bags, Honest Skincare and organic supplements from The Nue Co. Equipment is sustainable: bean bags are filled with organic buckwheat husk, blankets are made from recycled wool and yoga mats are made with ethically sourced natural rubber from a company that grows a tree for every mat.

Indeed, for von Anhalt and Kovaleva, this eco-friendly underpinning is crucial. Alongside classes and workshops, they’ll also be hosting a series of documentary screenings on topics from meditation and mindfulness to sustainable fashion. So far, clients are mainly women aged 25-40, but they’d love more men, says Kovaleva. In the next few weeks they hope to launch some men-focused meditations and sharing circles with a male instructor who’s worked with athletes and former rugby coaches. “He’s very focused on changing views of masculinity,” says von Anhalt.

Meditation, they believe, should be for everyone: soon it will be just as normal as going to the gym. Namaste.

Re:Mind Studio opens on February 19 and classes are available to book now at remindstudio.com

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