Just Breathe

We love multiple choices. (They make you feel smart.)

Try this one—it’s easy peasy.

Yoga is for:

1. stretching
2. meditating
3. a pre or post-natal shape-up routine
4. a stress break from the kids
5. an escape from the basement full of laundry
6. all of the above

The savvy answer is, of course: F

It’s hard to stay present and focused in the midst of our chaotic daily lives. Take a break from cooking, cleaning and childcare and step into a yoga studio. Your stress will melt away like the snow on your boots and you will leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Two yoga studios have recently set up shop only blocks apart in the rapidly developing Marda Loop area. Together Yoga Mandala and The Yoga Gateway offer a full range of classes that will suit novice yoga moms and veterans alike.

Yoga Mandala is bedecked in subdued greens, dark wood and Indian sari silk. Visit after dark and take pleasure in practicing by candlelight.

Owners Angie Smith and Kevin Elander’s serene studio focuses on Ashtanga style yoga. More commonly known as power yoga, Ashtanga yoga feels so good that you’ll be surprised when you’re sore the next day. With classes for beginners as well as more experienced yogis, Yoga Mandala offers pre and post-natal yoga classes for mamas and babies as well. Single drop-in costs $15 for a 90 minute hour class (2nd drop in free). A three-month unlimited membership costs $235.

Savvy entrepreneur Susan Jensen relocated The Yoga Gateway (TYG) to Marda Loop in February. The space on the lower floor was renovated with blond hardwood floors and buttery yellow walls. It offers a wide assortment of yoga classes designed for “every body”.

Teachers at TYG are specifically trained to teach restorative yoga classes for people with injuries and therapeutic yoga for backs. Yoga for kids, parent and child yoga as well as prenatal yoga are also offered.

Single drop in costs $17 for a 1½ hour class. An 11 week membership costs $330. There are discounts for students and seniors.

So you might want to get in the loop. A downward dog could be just the thing to help shake off your winter stress and shape up for spring.

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