I’ve been able to try three yoga studios on the North Side of Chicago during my time here. Each has its own style and perks. I hope to spend more time at each of them as I revive my intention to get deeper into my yoga practice.
Yoga Six Lincoln Park
Chi-Town Shakti
Chi-Town Shakti is in the Edgewater neighborhood. It’s a small studio on Devon Avenue.
The class I’ve attended the most is Hatha 1-2, which is a 60-minute session for which students can use the “pay what you can” option. Most of the classes I went to were taught by an instructor who loves to play around and experiment with sequences and transitions. He adjusts more than most instructors I’ve met in Chicago so far. The Hatha class holds poses longer than vinyasa-style classes; often we would be in a high lunge for 10 breaths or more. Another staple of his classes is play time against the wall to work on certain poses and spotting each other in inversions. His aim is to build community. He does not use music for the most part, other than chanting at the end of class and hitting a gong. The studio itself is located close to a street, so noise creeps into the space, but for the most part it’s easy to tune it out.