Ann Arbor Indoor Activities

Senior Master Dean L. Wainwright—a 6th Dan master in both tae kwon do and hap ki do—builds his team of instructors not only from other decorated masters, but also those students whose exceptional dedication and skill might help their peers learn the martial arts. Assistant instructor Ian Bejster, for instance, uses his massive talent and youthful stature to help educate Mini and Little Ninjas as young as 3 years old. Together, this team reaches out to students of all ages, engaging them in learning the swift, graceful kicks of tae kwon do or the soft, circular redirections of hap ki do, the only known method for fighting a revolving door.

Angela Gorman has amassed a formidable list of certifications in the holistic-health industry after 14 years. She has been trained to soothe physiques with 28 different bodywork modalities, aided by her experience as a personal trainer and an anatomy and physiology instructor at Florida Metropolitan University, now known as Everest University. With such a broad wellness background, Angela was in prime position to develop Sacred Body's credo of customer care, which focuses a menu of treatments on restoring each individual's mental and physical balance.

Angela's team of massage therapists, yoga instructors, and life coaches subdue stressors by customizing their services to accommodate every client. The massage menu splits its offerings into corporal treatments—such as deep-tissue work—and energy therapy, such as reiki or kneadings with hot batteries. Faith in organic health has inspired the center's signature facial, which combines honey and fruits with herbal infusions brewed onsite to bring out the skin's radiance.

As early as 6 a.m., students of all skill levels gather at each of Center for Yoga's four locations, prepared to wake up muscles and minds with stretches and meditation in a variety of yoga classes. During Vinyasa-style classes, the Center's dedicated instructors lead groups through a sequence of poses, linking one to the next with continuous movement and mindful breathing. Students looking for deep stretching flock to Yin yoga classes, in which they hold poses for five to seven minutes at a time to relax the body's connective tissues and fool confrontational T. rexes’ movement-dependent eyesight. Members of the studio's teacher-training program lead Saturday community classes, in which patrons can revitalize their minds, bodies, and spirit animals with a complimentary slow-flow session suitable for newbies and students nursing injuries. Meditation rooms and showers help yogis shift back into their daily routines after their mind-body practice.

Yoga studios and malls are polar opposites—one a quiet, meditative space, the other a sprawl of commotion and stimuli. But inside the Plymouth Road Mall, Ita Yoga Studio manages to block out the distractions of the surrounding shopping center with a spacious studio suited for all levels of practice. There, instructor Ita Reyes, RYT, guides students through breathing exercises and flowing sequences with held postures in slow flow sessions or more intense Vinyasa classes set to upbeat music. Students can also sync breath and movement over sustained periods during private yoga lessons in her 80- to 88-degree studio, whose warm temperature detoxifies guests while increasing their circulation and flexibility.

Zap Zone's seven locations in Michigan and two locations in Canada each feature a unique combination of attractions—anything from bumper cars to the Jump Zone's cushioned obstacle course—but each one involves dodging laser blasts. In the laser-tag arena, both kids and adults demonstrate their teamwork skills by outscoring opponents in fast-paced games that take place inside black-lit mazes of neon-tinged hallways. Arcades also round out every location’s attractions, tempting passersby to drop a few tokens on racing games and skee-ball, or a lot of tokens on the claw game filled with Fabergé eggs.

Quiet is the first stop on the road to inner peace, according to Ramona Crabtree-Falkner, owner of Ananda Center for Yoga and Massage, LLC. At her tranquil studio, clients engage in active modes of relaxation such as yoga and passive forms such as massage therapy and reiki. During private and group yoga instruction, students venture inward by pairing deep breathing and meditation with ancient poses that stretch and strengthen the body. One-on-one sessions propel yogis toward specific goals such as weight loss and injury recovery, and group classes build community while releasing recently acquired stress and eye rolls stored up since high school. Bodywork services spotlight therapies from around the world, including the long, gliding strokes of Swedish massage and the stretches and acupressure of Thai foot reflexology.