About Us
Our mission is to teach students of all abilities, ages and conditions to create positive change, body, mind, soul in a welcoming and supportive space. We start with the spine.
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We teach a therapeutic hot yoga class using beginner-friendly movements that are both accessible and challenging. We also offer livestream classes, vinyasa classes and intermediate-level classes.
We are a small, family-owned yoga school in the vibrant Ravenswood/Lincoln Square neighborhood. At Chicago Hot Yoga, we pride ourselves in giving you the most friendly and welcoming environment to learn yoga. All of our teachers have done intensive training to teach the 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises of the original hot yoga in the heat. In addition, we spend extensive time developing our teachers so that they are able to give you the best instruction possible, no matter what is going on in your body.
We invite students of all levels to come by and give us a visit! Your first month of membership is only $60. Come as much as you can during that time, and you may find yourself hooked, just like us!
If you have questions about practicing with injuries, please email us at Info@HotYogaChicago.com
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We have a gender neutral restroom and changing area available on site!
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The Original Hot Yoga sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises improves muscle strength, flexibility, increases circulation and detoxfication, and can regulate your endocrine system, lymphatic system and digestive system with regular practice. This yoga works your entire person, inside out, bones to skin. We encourage you to join us and see for yourself how you can feel different.
All you need to practice yoga is a spine, and it doesn't even have to be a good one! So come on in and see for yourself how much joy it gives us to teach and practice yoga with you!
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We welcome people of any race, ethnicity, size, fitness level, gender identity or expression, nationality, sexual orientation, ability level, religion, culture, subculture, political opinion, identity, and self-identification. ALL ARE WELCOME here!
Community
We believe in yoga for all people. We are passionate about teaching yoga to all, regardless of identity, ability or beliefs. Another huge part of this passion extends to teaching yoga to folks regardless of financial status: We believe that anyone with a desire to make this healing practice a part of their lives should be able to do so.
We are proud to offer a work/study program for our students to exchange their time and energy for yoga by helping to take care of the yoga space during the week. We also offer our community free classes through our Karma Yoga series: these online classes are free of charge and open to anyone who wants to practice with us!
We are proud of the efforts we are making to provide these sorts of opportunities, but we are constantly working to expand this vital aspect of our yoga school and make yoga more equitable and accessible in the Chicago area and beyond. We are trying to create a community where all are welcome.
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Are you a non-profit or community organization looking for partnership or silent auction? Please email us here!
Teachers
Cat Levine (she/her)
Yoga changed Cat's life over and over again since her first class over 15 years ago. Her primary goal is to teach her yoga students to create strong connections to who they are in a fun and supportive environment. She has a strong focus on diversity and inclusive teaching. She teaches with joy and warmth.
Featured twice in ESPN Yoga, Cat is a coach and athlete for USA Yoga and has been state champion for several years. In 2019, she ranked 5th nationally.
Marita Harlton
Marita helps Cat manage the yoga school and is in charge of the Work Study program at BYA that helps us trade heavily discounted yoga for shifted work. Please email Marita for more information about this program: Marita.bya@gmail.com
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Marita is a home-grown teacher who began her practice here. She worked behind the desk for a long time. Cat pestered her to go to teacher training until she did 6 years ago. She teaches with warmth and kindness.
Aura Dukynaite
Aura took her first Bikram Yoga class in the winter of 2008. She was expecting to find just another form of exercise. But before she realized it, she was applying breathing techniques outside of the yoga room as well. To be present and able to deal with difficulties, one needs to start paying attention to the breath. She began to practice yoga in life. Aura was eager to learn and practice and one day it was clear that teaching yoga was the way. In 2011 she graduated Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in LA. Aura competed in the Illinois Regional Asana Competition in 2013 and placed first. She went on to compete on the national level, representing Illinois. Aura is grateful for her teachers and is grateful for this yoga community where she is honored to share her passion.
Sam Linda (he/him)
Sam’s parents took him to his first Bikram class in his hometown of Houston, TX when he was 14 years old. As he got older and his practice became more regular, the benefits of the yoga started to extend far beyond the physical. His mental health was improving, his connection to his authentic self came more easily, and he found an increasing amount of love in his heart for others AND himself. Sharing this love with folks and creating space for them to heal is and always will be an unbelievable honor and, simply put, the coolest thing ever.
Michael Fine
This beautiful series figuratively and literally saved my life! I was rescued by this healing, therapeutic yoga after living my life in chronic, debilitating, 365 - 24/7 residual limb pain, the result of a head on collision at approximately 40 m.p.h. with a large, red concrete truck in April of 2010. The way forward was, is and will likely always be, my yoga practice, this beautiful, healing yoga series. In my years of practice, there has never been even one class where I haven’t felt less pain after those 90 glorious minutes than before I walked into that Hot Room! To date, I haven't found anything else that helps me in this way. As such, I call this yoga practice and series a universal truth. In other words, this yoga is a constant, like gravity, because it works each and every time that you practice! The mental and spiritual clarity that this magical 90 minute, open eyed, moving meditation provides is further icing on the yogic cake!
Ari Eisenberg
Ari was born in San Diego and raised in Nepal, Barbados, Ecuador, Peru, and the Washington, DC area. Ari had asthma as a child and he avoided sports, because they exacerbated the symptoms. When he took his first hot yoga class in 2010, it was challenging, but he immediately noticed some of the beneficial effects of yoga practice. From then on, he knew that he had found an activity he loved and would practice forever. Ari attended Bikram Yoga Teacher Training in 2011. The training was a transformative experience, and he has taught and practiced hot yoga consistently ever since. He also has participated in the USA Yoga championships on the National level every year since 2013. Ari loves yoga because it goes beyond exercise; it unites the mind, body, and the soul, through the power of the breath.
Cheryl Siebert
Sarah Thompson
​Sarah is a life-long Chicago girl, has 3 kiddos and a pup. She took her first yoga class in 2012 as what she thought might be a way to get in shape after having a baby. She was immediately hooked! Yoga has come to mean so much more to her than just exercise and she uses it in every area of her life. Sarah’s been practicing at BeYoga since 2017, after a shoulder surgery and a severe illness. She has grown so much stronger and healed so much through her practice. Sarah even placed 11th in the Nation in the 2021 USA Yoga Championship. Sarah is excited to help others experience the same joy and benefits she’s found practicing yoga. Sarah loves her yoga family here at Be Yoga. She is delighted to get to work here as our Communications Manager and as a teacher as she continues to practice here.
Bee Yingviriya
Bee began her first yoga here in 2013. Besides going through difficult times in her life during that time she was trying to cure herself from high cholesterol, acid reflux, breast tumors, tumors in kidney and ovaries, and chronic pain from a few car accidents. Her intention was to improve her health and maintain a healthy life. Unbeknownst to her she has been practicing yoga in her daily life, all along. Her practice has transformed her to be a better and healthier person. She has learned to love and care for herself. Yoga has changed her life and became the most important part of her life. Bee is the 2019 Illinois Senior Women's Champion with USA Yoga. She ranked 6th place in the Senior Women's 2021 National USA Yoga Championship and 5th in 2022. She decided to pursue the teacher training to improve her knowledge of her practice as she wants to share and encourage others that yoga is preventative medicine.
Sergio Hernandez
Sergio is another home-grown teacher, like most of our teachers.
Sergio is a dynamic teacher who cares deeply about our space. He began his practice here, worked for us behind the desk for a year before becoming a teacher. Sergio inspired us to bring more plants into our yoga school and also introduced Spanish yoga classes last year.
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Ana Milian
Ana started her fitness life with rock climbing, placing first place in the Guatemalan National Championship for three consecutive years from 1996 to 1999.
Since then, she was practicing meditation. After a divorce, she lost the connection with meditation and her inner self. When she stepped into her first class at Be Yoga Andersonville, she was able to concentrate and meditate. Right away, she knew she was in the right place, on the right path. Six months later she felt connection within, filled with light and good energy from each practice. Yoga practice healed her heart, flourishing it with love, compassion, and kindness. For that, she was inspire to share with others and attended to Teacher training in 2021.
Dustin Valenta
Dustin spent 4 years traveling and teaching all over the world, and is the 2019 USA Yoga National Champion. He has over 1000 hours certification in Hatha/Vinyasa yoga training. But the only honest answer to the question of how long he has been teaching/practicing yoga is "not long enough"--there's always more to learn!.
Dustin credits his yoga practice with saving his life after a nearly fatal bike accident in 2013, and teaches from a place of love and compassion, with an emphasis on breath, curiosity, and self-observation without judgement.
Cheryl has been practicing yoga since 2000, she found yoga after an injury prevented her from playing ultimate that summer. At first yoga was a way to stay active but then due to the ups and downs of life and more injuries she realized that yoga was more than just exercise, it was providing strength and calm for her even when she was off of her mat. It has been a long journey to get here since that summer in 2000 but this year provided the opportunity for her to deepen her practice and learn more about the 26x2 postures at teacher training so she can share her love of yoga and help others in their own yoga journeys. Yoga is a gift that should be shared and she can’t wait to share it with you!
Reviews
Contact Us
Chicago Hot Yoga
4945 N. Damen Ave, Chicago, Il, 60625
Tel: 773-907-0291
Email: info@hotyogachicago.com