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Best Chicago gyms for yoga classes
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Crunch's Antigravity Yoga Class
Nowadays, it's standard practice for a gym to offer yoga classes, but not all yoga classes are the same. In fact, many devoted yoga students look down on "gym yoga" and it's easy to see why: the booming high energy dance music, the sounds of machines working, weights crashing, people grunting, the general lack of the yoga philosophy and lifestyle from fellow participants and the "no touching" rule at some gyms, meaning instructors can't physically adjust you in a pose!
But, never forget that you can do yoga anywhere, and while we turn to instructors for guidance, direction and flow, that doesn't mean you can't find it at a gym filled with "meatheads."
Throughout my quest to find the best fitness classes, gyms, instructors and studios in Chicago, I've discovered inspiring yoga classes in unlikely places. Here are a few of the best, chosen for their low noise levels, class variety and instructors. If you're a member, consider yourself lucky. If you're considering joining a gym, but want more than just a variety of yoga classes, these places are also touted for their innovative and challenging group exercise classes as well.
I'll admit, before I became a member of Crunch, I thought their kitschy class names and no judgement attitude was all marketing talk, but now I know that when I can't get to my favorite studio, I can slip into Virgin Yoga (beginners), Flow Yoga or go for something totally unique like Antigravity Yoga and Spectrum Yoga (a class that uses colored lights to guide you through a session that focuses on balancing the chakras). For winter, they're got two new offerings: Yoga Body Sculpt and Stone Yoga, similar to spectrum yoga, but using crystals for balancing energy and detoxing. Gimmicks or not, the yoga studios at Crunch are usually located far away from the loud main cardio and group fitness areas so the loud music and gym sounds are kept out.
The membership at David Barton Gym in River North will cost a pretty penny, but with cool decor, intense trainers, fancy spa products in the locker room and a diverse yoga schedule, it's easy to see why. Members here can choose between kundalini, jivamukti, Forrest, tantric hatha, rockstar yoga, power vinyasa, yoga for jocks, ashtanga and yes, yoga basics, taught by top-instructors who also teach at some of the most popular and well-regarded studios in the city.
Easily one of the top gyms in Chicago, Equinox is known for their innovative classes and their yoga offerings are no exception. Fitting with their intense group fitness classes, their mind body offers are not for the faint of heart. The Michigan Avenue (Gold Coast) location has Andrey Lappa's signature Universal Yoga, Power Flow Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga and a new offering called YogaPoser Detox, a class that focuses on inversions and twists to stimulate healthy digestion, get the blood flowing and the lymph moving. Equinox is also one of the only gyms in Chicago to offer Budokan, a powerful, intense mix of meditation, yoga and martial arts that will have you thinking differently about how you move your body and (in my case) leave you sore for days! The yoga and pilates room of the Gold Coast gym is the only studio located on the second floor of the space and is so quiet, you'll only realize that there's a busy gym going on below you when you reach back into an intense backbend.
If you're still not comfortable with the steep monthly membership fees and gym atmosphere, consider checking out the Lakeview YMCA. You won't find a variety of styles or fancy amenities here, but you will find a welcoming environment full of all different body types to comfortably discover your yoga practice.
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