Yoga in Forest Park

Bikram yoga consists of 26 poses and two breathing exercises that center, strengthen, and lengthen every muscle with the muscle-melting powers of a 100-plus-degree room. The trained instructors at this Andersonville studio, including owner Jessica Rask, are ready and willing to guide both newcomers as stiff as stale graham crackers and yoga veterans as malleable as a handful of Gak through the exercise routine. Be prepared to sweat profusely, dumping both calories and toxins in the process. As the high temperatures seep into your muscles and ligaments, you'll warm like candle wax in a car engine, stretching and flexing accordingly. Afterward, you'll leave focused, with a cleansed, centered, and worry-free glow. A flexible schedule makes taking numerous classes achievable for busy bees, swamped swans, and Brian Dennehy alike.

Body & Brain Holistic Yoga's classes incorporate yoga, tai chi, meditation, martial arts, and signature breathing postures to forge a mind-body exercise that helps students to awaken their inner ki energy. The one-hour sessions attempt to improve flexibility, strength, breathing, and energy sensitivity, which contribute to holistic health. Much like a dive-bombing red-winged black bird, classes often vary their approach, ensuring a more dynamic experience from session to session

Over the span of more than a decade teaching yoga, founder and instructor Carmen Aguilar crafted her own signature style called cYoga, which caters to practitioners of all experience levels. While still drawing from more traditional forms of yoga, Aguilar spices things up by constantly rotating the sequence of poses to match the capabilities or moods of her students and to ensure that no two classes are ever alike. To give participants a boost of confidence as they pursue their goal of getting in shape or successfully imitating a rotini noodle during charades, she and her team of instructors strive to help every student to accomplish at least one difficult pose per class.

The airy studio cultivates a modern and industrial vibe with its exposed piping and gauzy white sheers that soften the row of windows. The studio's schedule also features a tango-dancing class, which is taught by an internationally acclaimed dancer, and capoeira classes, which teach a Brazilian art form fusing dance, gymnastics, and self-defense.

Former Yoga Trek students Kate Wester and Catherine Cappel carry on ownership of the studio passed on to them by their former instructors, leading a staff of impassioned yoga teachers as they guide students in the physically dynamic Vinyasa and Ashtanga styles of yoga. The instructors accommodate students of all skill and fitness levels except in the most advanced sessions, which transition between challenging poses at a rapid pace. Beginners and intermediate students can build up practice over time, learning to incorporate meditation and mindful breathing techniques to center thoughts while bolstering physical stamina with traditional yoga poses. Instructors help to prepare students before class by passing out any yoga mats, supportive props, or chakra-warming space blankets guests need.

A nonprofit educational organization, The Peace School promotes tranquility of mind, body, and spirit through yoga, tae kwon do, and meditation courses that welcome students of all ages. Originally established in 1972 by Grand Master Myungsu Y.S. Kim, the school has been recognized by the United Nations, developed senior and nursing-home programs, and helped establish Peace Day, an annual Chicago celebration of peace and cultural institutions.

At the school, a coalition of experienced instructors—all of whom have trained for at least 10 years—leads students in three levels of yoga, traditional tae kwon do, and other exercises. Group practice, discussion, and lectures divulge the fundamentals of peace breathing meditation, while a hands-on self-defense for women class opens up discussion of attitude, confidence, and safety issues. Massage classes emphasize acupressure technique and deep breathing, while courses in infant massage can help babies sleep better.

Growing up, Timothy Suh learned that strength could take several forms. His father was a tae kwon do master who helped inspire a lifelong passion for martial arts. His mother waged a two-year battle with cancer, and her passing prompted Timothy to study alternative medicine. Today, he combines these strengths to aid other cancer patients with their pain, linking his acupuncture treatments with tai chi and yoga practices.

The symbiotic relationship between Timothy's specialties underlines Alternative Health Group's primary mission: balance. All his staffers also boast complementary disciplines. For example, licensed massage therapist Danielle Pacific teaches restorative yoga poses to her massage clients, which they can assume at home for further relief or on the sidewalk to bend the rules of hopscotch. This holistic approach allows the team to bring Eastern and Western influences together and to address root causes of symptoms rather than just the symptoms themselves. With personalized acupuncture sessions, clinical massage, herbal remedies, and classes in yoga and tai chi, they strive to recalibrate bodies and minds from all angles.