Origem
Concept
Oca means "home" in the indigenous Brazilian Tupi-Guarani language. In the Indigenous cultures of Brazil, an Oca is a communal house.
Oca is a sacred space to gather, ground and grow, a place for community, connection and alegria. It is a place to come home to ourselves. A space to access the body’s own healing powers.
Direction
Gabi Ribeiro is the studio director at Oca. She moved to London from Brazil in 2008 and has taught yoga since 2013.
The teachers are expert yoga and mindfulness practitioners.
Site
Oca has been installed in a dedicated space in a former metal printworks in Central London’s Bermondsey. The architecture inhabits the industrial structure, as well as the building's heritage as an abstract art and fashion and music photography studio. The material choices (natural cork, birch ply, steel, and jatoba wood) reflect its past and the roots of studio director, Gabi Ribeiro.
Elements
Every element has been selected and matched to create an environment where practitioners can (re)connect to themselves and to a community. The sound is provided by invisible Sonance speakers embedded in the ceiling, ideal for moving meditations and those spaced out savasanas.
