It’s the least wonderful time of the year. The London winter blues are a tangible thing, like a sadly dumped Christmas tree and a negative bank balance. But, there are a few reasons to still feel celebratory, even with a limited budget. Happily, it’s not just the weather that’s frozen, the Mayor of London has put a freeze on several transport fares until 2020. This won’t apply to weekly travel cards, but many single fares on buses, trams, the tube and Overground have been.
Other than the gift of non-skyrocketing transport, we’ve rounded up a few reasons to feel chipper about the first month of 2019. From ticking off New Year’s resolutions in exercise to workshops, learning new skills and tech meetups, you’ll have plenty to keep your mind off the money (or lack thereof) in January.
Free and cheap fitness
We cheapos have been championing free and frugal fitness for a while now, from running for free in London Park’s to do voluntary work while getting some exercise
GoodGym
A free (though voluntary donations are welcomed) running community, who also do community volunteering. Tasks including running to visit the elderly, assisting in community projects and one-off tasks to help older people For more info on GoodGym, read our interview with founder Ivo Gormley.
Our Parks
Groups of self-named ‘Parkers’ gather across city boroughs to take free classes from circuit training and aerobics to capoeira and parkour. Parkers can also bring kids along (over age 3) and they run classes for children too. Find out more in our interview with CEO Born Barikor.
Yoga
You can do yoga for practically nothing with £2.00 classes courtesy of The Stress Project in Holloway on Wednesdays at 12:30-13:30 at The Old Fire Station Community Centre and Pilates on Monday afternoons too.
The focus of The Stress Project is mental health and well-being, and the timetable includes free mindfulness and therapeutic gardening on Thursdays.
For free yoga that fits in with a working day, pop along to St Stephen’s Church in Westminster for free, all-level community yoga every Tuesday at 7:30-8:30—all you need is a mat.
Affordable gyms
If a more traditional workout is what you’re after to boost out of your new year lethargy, some gyms offer pay-as-you go passes, and places like YMCA offer fees from £5.00 for a day or around £23.00 per month.
Take a peek at the Pay As U Gym listings to find deals closest to your postcode.
Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation might seem a bit buzz-wordy at the moment, but they’re no fad. We Londoners are a fidgety lot, but if you can suspend your giggling, it can be a great source of calm. Courses can be pricey, but there are an increasing number of free or donation-based classes around – for some free and reasonable options see our article Where to Find Meditation Classes in London.
Sahaja Yoga
Weekly free (around 16) sessions across London, including Walthamstow, Norwood, Streatham, Harrow and Swiss Cottage. The name confuses some, but the ‘Yoga’ just involves sitting on a chair, the emphasis is on focusing on breathing and you can pick up tips on how to meditate at home. There seems to be a class on pretty much any night of the week, so pop in after work to de-stress for nothing.
Satsang Group Meditation
Free silent meditation on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre.
Satsang Group Meditation website
Inner Space
A small bookshop with a meditation space in Covent Garden, facilitating calm in the heart of London. They offer different types of meditation on a free or voluntary donation basis. Not sure which one is for you? Choose from creative meditation, practical meditation (an open-eye practice), afternoon and evening sessions on positive thinking as well as talks on self-esteem and time management.
Learn new skills
Meetups are very much a year-round thing, but this is great time to stop investigating them and show up, particularly for tech skills.
Skillsmatter
Whether you’re considering a career in animation, want to discuss why data matters, learn to code or sharpen your coding skills with FreeCodeCamp there is plenty of free knowledge being shared around to boost the brain cells for the year ahead.
