Christmas Yoga Theatre by Materia & Alive: A unique holiday experience that brought together art, movement, and wellbeing at Zagreb’s HNK
In the very heart of December, a time when the holidays often ask more of us than the pace of everyday life allows, wellbeing brand Materia and Daria Darmaniyan, an international yoga instructor and founder of the Alive platform, created an event that offered a different perspective on festive luxury. One that begins from within.
Christmas Yoga Theatre by Materia & Alive took place inside the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. The elegance of the architecture, the stillness of the stage, and thoughtfully curated wellbeing rituals blended into a singular experience of slowing down, presence, and self-care.
The centerpiece of the event was a yoga practice led by Daria Darmaniyan, whose international approach to yoga and meditation emphasizes mindful movement, breath, and inner balance. Under her guidance, participants experienced a meditative practice in dialogue with live classical music, with harp tones that lent the theatre an almost ethereal dimension and deepened the sense of calm and connection. Harpist Milica Pašić of Zagreb’s HNK added her own distinctive contribution to the experience.
After yoga, the experience continued with a Materia pop-up bar, conceived as a small ritual of mindful return to everyday life. Guests enjoyed carefully prepared latte drinks, chosen for their gentle yet effective benefits for both body and mind. Matcha latte was served as a ritual of softly awakening energy, rich in antioxidants, known to support focus and mental clarity, without a sudden spike. Blue matcha latte, with its natural blue pigment and adaptogenic properties, symbolized calm and balance, ideal for extending the relaxation reached during meditation. Hojicha latte, low in caffeine with warm, nutty notes, was imagined as a final grounding ritual. A drink that nurtures a sense of safety, warmth, and an easy return to the holiday day.
“Christmas Yoga Theatre was envisioned as a space where people can step away from external expectations for a moment and return to themselves. The theatre, the music, and yoga together create a feeling of deep presence and the kind of silence we all miss, especially in December,” emphasized Daria Darmaniyan, founder of the Alive platform.
“Through our brand, we continuously reflect on wellbeing as an everyday luxury, not something unattainable, but a conscious decision to take care of ourselves. Christmas Yoga Theatre was a natural continuation of that philosophy and an opportunity to translate it into an experience,” said Maja and Zrinka, the owners of Materia.
Additional value came from partners who share the same holistic approach to health and beauty, Novexpert, Philips, Donatural, and Bio & Bio. Their support further enriched the overall experience and underscored the importance of a mindful relationship with the body, space, and daily habits.
Christmas Yoga Theatre by Materia & Alive showed how wellbeing can be experienced as aesthetic, emotional, and deeply personal. It also showed how the holidays can become an opportunity to create new rituals, the kind that restore balance, clarity, and a sense of inner peace, even in the most intense part of the year.
Photo: Prosper Filipović
