Classes in Omaha

When was the last time you performed a walking lunge with a pumpkin instead of a medicine ball? Or took a cycling class with an '80s-era pop star? On Halloween of 2012, Pinnacle Fitness Club was filled with unusual props and colorful characters—and not just the typical athletic equipment or energetic personal trainers. The gym encouraged members to wear costumes to their workouts, resulting in classes filled with faux surgeons and familiar Dr. Seuss figures.

It may only happen once a year, but the lighthearted spirit of the club’s October 31st festivities embodies its continually down-to-earth, friendly environment. It offers amenities such as new cardio and weight-training equipment and a 25-yard lap pool to encourage patrons on their journies toward better health. After their workout, guests can head to the jacuzzi to unwind.

Since 1977, the Omaha Yoga School (OYS) has been molding clients into loose-limbed fitness fans, expanding its base of classical and Vinyasa flow classes to include Hyp-Yoga, which combines yoga with hypnosis to achieve top-notch results that won’t temporarily transform participants into clucking chickens. OYS recognizes that the body must be taken care of, but the mind and spirit are also important pieces of the complex long-division formula that is fitness. By teaching ancient yoga techniques in a non-competitive and intimate atmosphere, OYS produces practical results that improve daily living and snowball-dodging skills. Experienced instructors who were enamored with their Stretch Armstrongs at an early age lead small classes that strengthen the core and firm limbs, which will undoubtedly bait jealous glares from trees. Call ahead to schedule your first session at Omaha Yoga School.

Anytime Fitness, as the name suggests, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and every day of the year with nonstop security. The open schedule ensures you have no excuses not to get in shape—unlike its competitor, Nevertime Fitness, which only opens its single Barrow, Alaska, location during solar eclipses.

Bryce Bridges took his first professional photo more than 15 years ago. In the years since that initial shutter click, he has worked for several publications—including his own personal creation Medium magazine. Along the way, he's captured the faces of musicians and the remote-controlled smiles of commercial models. Still, Bryce discovered that he wasn't content to hoard all of his knowledge. He began teaching photography at the collegiate level and putting together his own workshops. Today, he continues to immortalize moments and instill his students with the skills they'll need to compose their own bodies of work.

The Yoga Path's classes are based on Hatha yoga techniques and geared towards all skill and activity levels. Drop-in classes are held several times a week and run between 60–90 minutes. Small class sizes along with hands-on instruction and telepathic communicating from skilled instructors ensure that each student receives individualized attention. Aspiring contortionists are led through a variety of poses that help increase strength, flexibility, and endurance. After class, sweat-drenched bodies and minds can replenish with tea and chatter and yoga veterans malleable as warm wax and neophytes unable to touch their toes are equally welcome. Drop-ins are asked to call or email before attending class.

Voted Best Yoga Studio in 2010 by The Reader's Best of the Big O, One Tree Yoga's 20 experienced instructors lead students through a massive schedule of up to 66 weekly classes, covering styles including Bikram, Vinyasa, Kundalini, and Ashtanga. Beginners bask in the yoga basics class, which walks enlightenment seekers through traditional yoga poses, alignment, and the art of breathing while impersonating their nasal co-workers. Yin yoga classes pamper the connective tissues by focusing on long holds in seated or reclined positions, and expectant mothers can mellow their physical and emotional states during pre-natal yoga classes. The all-levels Vinyasa class helps pupils to master breathing exercises and traditional hatha stretches, and the 26-pose Bikram yoga class transpires in a heated room that promotes flexibility and deep cleansing, as well as causing any marshmallows smuggled into the studio to double in size.