Getting My Om On

In furtherance of my New Year's resolution (and my goal to try as many different yoga studios as possible), I tried out a new (for me) yoga studio in River North called Yoga House. I saw on their web site that they are offering a free week of yoga during January, and the studio got great reviews, so I thought I would give it a try. The story of the studio is actually pretty neat -- it's located in the gallery district near the Chicago Brown Line stop. Apparently the owner used to own an art gallery in the same space but decided to close the gallery and open the studio. However, despite the business change, there's some pretty neat art on display. The space is very warm and welcoming, with original wood floors, beams and a loft ceiling. It has a very urban feel, especially since you can faintly hear the el go by.

I took a Vinyasa class that was wicked hard, and the instructor was awesome. This was probably the first yoga class I've attended set to music by P-funk and Chaka Kahn, but the music went with the flow of the poses. This wasn't snobby or pretentious like I hear some city studios can be -- the staff and all of the other class attendees were very friendly. I'm definitely going to use my week of free yoga to the fullest extent, and will add this studio in my rotation.

The lofty studio space.