Om's 20th Anniversary

We love our annual tradition of a charity yoga fundraiser to celebrate the studio’s founding! This year marks our 20th anniversary and these yoga parties continue. All Valentine’s Day weekend classes benefitted Lakeview Pantry and their work to serve the hungry & food insecure. Om yogis joined together as a community and raised $1800.

~ Our Om Blog is coming to a pause. After 20 years/7,280 days of yoga love & yoga living, it feels complete. Moving forward, we invite you to keep current on what we are up to by following our Instagram/Facebook pages as well as signing up for our email newsletter.

Mints and Incense

For as long as we can remember, there has been a little Nag Champa lit before class and some lifesavers out in a ceramic bowl handmade by Annie. As we recognize being a community resource for yoga & mindfulness for two decades, we smile at the little Om things along the way.

Om in the Juniper Room

After 20 months of outdoor and livestream yoga, we found a beautiful indoor space to gather to practice. The Juniper Room at Rooted Space is bright, warm and welcoming. While the “original studio” on Grace will always hold a special place in our hearts, it sure is revitalizing to gather with Om yogis to practice here.

Yin + Liz = Yiz

We mark the autumn shift by slowing down for some Yin Yoga with Liz V. Turning inward through longer holds in floor poses while supported by blankets, bolsters and pillows (or your pet!) is at the heart of this restorative-style class. Liz’s tone, tunes & talent made this an especially peaceful class. Perfect as the days get darker sooner and energy shifts a bit slower.

Power Through Peace Teen Yoga Class

Young people are our hope! That is the reason why Om partnered with the Chicago Park District for a free outdoor yoga & mindfulness event for teens. The sun was shining on Kerry Wood Cubs Field as Beth & Nina co-taught this class along with McFetridge Wellness. #Moveyourway was the invitation to get young people to discover ways to activate healthy habits. And that we did.

Yoga in the Park to Benefit Common Pantry

YES! That was our reply when Rep. Ann Williams asked us to help out with outdoor yoga classes to benefit Common Pantry. We gathered under beautiful trees in Welles Park and live-streamed them to those who couldn’t join in-person. Community, good health and helping others was the intention of this Summer Yoga Series in June, July and August. Cheers to Rep. Ann and State Senator Sara Feigenholtz for bringing us together to help our hungry/food-insecure neighbors.

Bon Voyage Class for Liz V

Om on the Town Square is in its second phenomenal season of outdoor yoga. Truly, the love of practice in community is palpable. It showed up especially strong to wish beloved Om teacher Liz V all the best as she relocates to Ithaca, New York with her husband and dog Wendell. We are gonna miss this master teacher and wonderful woman.

Om Summer Camp

Healing, fun and yoga were at the heart of Om Summer Camp. It was created by a super engaging group of campers. They were willing to play, laugh, practice, cry and share from the heart. At the end, this group acknowledged what yoga camp provided for them — a sense of joy, ease, tranquility, love, peace, presence, energy, community, being grounded, calm & empowered.

Will!

We celebrated a family milestone when our son Will graduated from Lane Tech College Prep. He’s off to DePaul University this fall. Congrats, Will! We are totally proud parents of this super fine young man! We are also reminded of the early days of Om when we dreamed of opening a studio, starting a family and doing what we are passionate about as our vision for a wonderful life together. It’s working and we are downright grateful.

Love Me Tender

We love it when a special yoga invitation comes along asking us to help out! Our neighbors & friends Rosalia & Tom Scholle chose to mark their 30th wedding anniversary by hosting a yoga fundraiser to support Resilience , a local non-profit serving survivors of sexual violence. They gathered up friends and family on Zoom, practiced yoga to their ‘90’s rockin’ yoga playlist & raised over $2100 for Resilience! It was a gas & we were delighted to be a part of this smokin’ hot couple’s special day.

Renewable Yoga Energy

Our privates and consulting work has blossomed over the past year and it all came together brilliantly with our private session for Denmark-based renewable energy firm Orsted. Beth led a desk-based yoga & mindfulness class while Terry served as the “demo”. He even wore his business-casual clothes to show that yoga can be practiced anywhere while wearing anything!

It’s our joint mission to get creative, adaptive, personalized yoga out there! Thanks for the opportunity, Hope W. & Orsted. Keep up the seated pigeon pose during those Microsoft Team online meetings!

The Zoom Yoga Life

Om’s virtual classes have been happening for a full year now. Together, we’ve created a new way to connect, practice and operate during a health pandemic. #omathome was born from this. It’s one big collective pivot. Your great notes, donations and encouragements have helped us get through the year and we are grateful.

“Thanks for sharing light in this crazy time!” — MS
“Your spirit and positivity is all a person needs in the world!” — JV
“I feel a million times better after moving my body at the end of another long stressful day” — KG

Om Rolls into Year #20

Today, we celebrated Valentine’s Day and Om’s Anniversary! We love to celebrate this milestone by helping others, so this year the Om community raised $4000 for Sarah’s Circle and their mission to serve homeless women in Chicago. This annual tradition of supporting our neighbors is a part of the heart & soul of Om. We gathered for a Chakra Yoga Workshop on Saturday & an Om Community Winter Walk on Sunday. It has been a remarkable two decades of coming together in fellowship & connection as well as a day of impact for Chicagoans who need some help.

Yin Returns for 2021

The slower, meditative practice of yin targets the deep connective tissue of your body. But a true master teacher like Liz V. brings along the added gifts of offering a spacious vibe and sequence that guides yogis inward for some peace as well as quiet listening. Om is so fortunate that Liz brings her heart and soul to sharing this contemplative practice. Her class today was the perfect way to usher in 2021. #liz=yiz

Holiday Lights Family Yoga

Winter Lights! That was the focus of the Family Yoga session that Nina shared with fellow Om families. It was all play but the early seeds of noticing your breath and listening as your body moves were planted, too. Nina’s talented husband Lance (who happens to be the drummer for the beloved country band The Hoyle Brothers) joined in playing a yoga sing-along-song on the ukulele. Nina’s two children were amazing role models and made this special class a delight. #mindfulmatters

Mindfulness Matters for Northwestern University

Beth had the chance to lead fellow Wildcat alums in a movement, breathwork & meditation workshop today. Northwestern grads from the classes of 1960 all the way through 2020 came together to learn and practice the accessible tools of mindfulness in this online meetup. With almost 100 in attendance, the workshop was hosted by the Northwestern Club of Chicago and there was plenty of purple in the zoom windows, too. #gowildcats

Yogis Making a Difference for Common Pantry

$4215 was raised at today’s yoga fundraiser to help Om’s local food pantry. Common Pantry will put these funds to good use as it has stepped forward to provide triple its usual support to help the hungry & food insecure. What amazing neighbors helping neighbors! #endhunger

J-Flow's Yoga Birthday

What an inspirational yoga birthday party for neighborhood leader & local legend — Jenny Flynn! Jenny (also known as J-flow) invited friends & family to a socially-distanced, outdoor practice led by Beth & Terry and asked all to make a gift to the Om Community Fund to benefit Yogis for Common Pantry. That’s one helluva loving birthday celebration for one helluva a yogini! #jflow

Meet Me at the Square

Our Northcenter neighbors are letting us gather up on the new Town Square (4100 North Damen) to offer free weekly yoga classes. Being in fresh air, six feet apart and just a short walk from the original Om studio is just the best way to experience community & yoga these days!   BYOMatt & Mask & Sunblock & Everything! 

New Teachers Debut...on Zoom!

Fresh yoga teachers are such a fresh perspective!

Our Summer Series of Monday classes with the debut of many new yoga teachers was a zoom hit!

Congrats to Alison, Dave, Jackie, Jodi, Vickie and Denise for stepping up to teaching in a way they never anticipated #om@home.