Local Hero: Sinah Diepold

An interview with Sinah:

Tell us a bit about your background. How and when did your love for yoga develop? What does yoga mean to you?

As a Munich native, I went to school in the local area and studied sports science at the TU, because somehow no other option but sports made sense to me. Since my studies involved far too much sitting for me, I started my dance education at Iwanson International at the same time and completed an internship and training in New York. I've been back for about five years now and have been teaching mainly dance and ballet barre since then. Then yoga slowly crept in and a broken heart brought me to Bali for my first yoga teacher training. Since then, yoga has become my greatest love!

Over a year ago you opened your own yoga studio in Munich. How did you come up with the name Kale&Cake?

Kale&Cake symbolises the balance of extremes. Sometimes you're the ‘kale’ type; you get up early, do sports, eat healthy. Then sometimes you're the ‘cake’ type; sleeping in, lazing around, eating unhealthy food. And both are okay. Extremes are always unhealthy, but we stand for the happy medium, right in the middle.

What does Munich mean to you personally? What makes the city worth living in for you?

This beautiful mixture of village and city. No matter where you go, you meet someone you know. At the same time, there are incredible events (concerts, exhibitions, festivals), an incomparable range of sports, beautiful nature – and the feeling of living in a big city.

If Munich was a person, how would you describe her/him?

Munich likes to sit between the extremes. She likes expensive and unnecessary things, yet she’s still approachable, relaxed and real. You can have superficial conversations with her and then visit a contemporary exhibition and talk about politics. One day she’ll be dressed up in high heels and a cocktail dress, and then you’ll meet her the next day with sweatpants and frizzy hair while shopping at the organic market. 

What are your secret tips for Munich? What is your favourite district and why?

Maxvorstadt. I lived here for a long time and I love the cafés, small shops and many museums there. If I don't have time to go to the Isar, I just lie down on the lawn in front of the Pinakothek for an hour and get a coffee and Banana Bread from Daddy Longlegs.

What are your recommendations for Giesing?

Oh, I love this part of the city! I love eating at the Attentat Griechischer Salat and then walking around the Ostfriedhof. I love the fact that in Munich the old cemeteries are part of the cityscape and that you walk and cycle through them - despite the ban on cycling. Just as surfing is not allowed, yet everybody surfs at Eisbach anyway. I also like the restaurant Der Dantler, serving a special mix of New York Deli and Bavarian local food.

What do you show your visitors when they come to town? And where do you take them for dinner?

I’ll show them the Drückebergergasse behind the Feldherrnhalle and the opera house - usually in connection with a bike tour through Munich. There are so many great stories to tell about these places!

For dinner, we would go for example to Benko: small, best quality and no-frills. Alternatively, the Katopazzo offers the best bowls or the Chi Thu, where I love the rice noodle bowl with vegetarian spring rolls.

As a first-time visitor to Munich, where can you best feel the pulse of the city?

On a short bike tour! You should start cycling at the Reichenbach Bridge, then across the Gärtnerplatz to the southern cemetery and across the city centre to the Hofgarten, Drückebergegasse and Feldherrnhalle. Make a detour to the Bavarian State Opera because the story of how it was extinguished with beer must be heard. The surfer wave takes you into the English Garden, then out again at the Milchhäusl and via Schellingstraße into Maxvorstadt. It's best to include many stops and just enjoy the ride. Maybe you can even jump in for an hour of yoga at our studio after watching the surfers.

Are there cafés you like to visit?

I love the café Joon in Maxvorstadt, and I always go to Aroma Kaffeebar in the Glockenbach.

What are your favourite shops?

I love the Ohne Supermarkt for zero-waste gifts, Dear Goods for sustainable clothes and the Yoga Corner for my yoga clothes and accessories.