 What brought you to yoga?
I first came to yoga looking for a way to move and connect with my body. I never felt comfortable participating in sports or large group activities, and yoga provided the quiet, expansive space I needed to move and grow. I quickly learned that yoga was much more than a physical practice. It helped me manage my stress and anxiety, and allowed me to explore my own inner landscape. Ultimately, yoga provided the foundation I needed to build a warm, welcoming place for my body, mind, and spirit, in turn, allowing me to come home to myself. What is your approach to teaching? While the process of coming to your mat can be an empowering and enlightening experience, the process itself can be difficult as it involves some vulnerability. I strive to create safe environments for people of all bodies and backgrounds to practice by providing options and modifications through props and verbal cues, ultimately giving practitioners choice along their yoga journey. I also aim to embody all aspects of yoga in my teaching, including but not limited to asana, pranayama, and meditation, so my students can explore everything yoga has to offer. My goal is to provide a warm, safe space for students to tune into their own inner landscape, and I hope they leave their mat feeling strong, grounded, and empowered. Why did you choose to teach at 5KY? When I first came to 5KY, I admired the calm, warm, and inviting atmosphere of the practice space. I immediately felt comfortable and at home, and that was just from my very first class! Holding space for others is important to me, and making sure everyone has that right is imperative to me as well. I appreciate that 5KY is committed to accessibility and inclusivity through Yoga For All Abilities, and they strive to help the community by providing a place for practitioners to come relax, connect, and build their own yoga practice. What makes your soul sing? Travel! I love exploring new places, indulging in the food and culture, and learning new things along the way. I personally believe that the journey is worth celebrating just as much as the destination, and there is something so powerful about creating your own itinerary or vision board, manifesting and working it into reality, and then embarking on the wonderful adventure you made happen! In between travels, I love taking the time to slow down and lose myself in nature, reading, or video games. I love hanging out with friends and family, exploring bookshops, and trying new restaurants.
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 Photo by Buddha Elemental on Unsplash "Once you have seen, you cannot fool yourself. " - Sadguru This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 3.4 त्रयमेकत्र संयमः trayam ekatra saṃyamaḥ When working together, these three are called samyama. Patanjali explains that when dharana, dhyana and samadhi flow into one another while using one object of focus, it is called samyama. This is actually quite a simple sutra. Patanjali is simply saying that “samyama is just another name for the three practices of concentration, meditation and absorption applied together.” (Bhakt, 133) In samyama, “the three are a single thread” (Iyengar, 182) and therefore, integrated.
 What brought you to your yoga practice?
I was looking for a new way to incorporate some movement and de-stress from my work, and after doing some searching I found 5KY on meetup and decided to give it a try. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? After my first session I noticed how relaxed my muscles felt, especially in my back and shoulders, and how much tension I had been holding there for who knows how long. It brought a lot of relief especially during a stressful work week. What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? I would tell my pre-yoga self that it’s important that your mind and body be in tune with one another, and many times the key to feeling better mentally is to take care of yourself physically. Even on days when you’re not feeling up to it, sometimes movement is enough to make you feel a lot better both physically and mentally.  Photo by Omkar Jadhav on Unsplash Knowing others is wisdom. Knowing yourself is enlightenment. - Lao Tzu This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 3.3 तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिव समाधिः tadevārthamātranirbhāsaṃ svarūpaśūnyamiva samādhiḥ Enlightenment (or Samadhi) is when through meditation the essence of the object shines forth in its own essence, without form. Now Patanjali reaches the final and eighth limb of Raja Yoga, which is Samadhi or the state of enlightenment. As difficult as meditation is to describe in words, enlightenment is even harder. Patanjali tries to explain it here so practitioners will have an idea of what it is like to experience enlightenment and understand when they have reached that goal.
 Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash The mind that is alone is not only innocent but young...only such a mind can see that which is truth and that which is not measurable by words. - Jiddu Krishnamurti This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 3.2 तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् tatra pratyayaikatānatā dhyānam Built upon the foundation of concentration, meditation is the uninterrupted flow of attention toward the object of concentration. Patanjali distinguishes between concentration (dharana) and meditation (dhyana) within the eight limbs of Raja Yoga he lists. This is a key distinction for practitioners because while we often describe what we are doing as “meditating,” in fact the only action we can actually take is to concentrate.
 What brought you to your yoga practice?
I was looking for physical activity that would also support my emotional life. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? My mind is quieter and I have the ability to focus on one part of my body at a time while I am practicing. I feel stronger and I can access breath work and yoga poses in my daily life not just in the studio. What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? The routine of practicing three days a week at Five Keys has had a profound impact on my well being. It’s a welcoming supportive community that I am happy to be a part of. Concentration is the key that opens up to the child the latent treasures within him. - Maria Montessori This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 3.1 देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा deśabandhaścittasya dhāraṇā Concentration is fixing the mind to one point. If we followed just this one sutra, we would learn to meditate and eventually reach enlightenment. How often I hear some variation of “I can’t meditate, my mind is too busy!” But this is exactly what the practice is designed to do: reduce the busyness of the mind.
 Join us to usher in the wisdom, transformation, calmness and creativity that may come from the Year of the Snake! Lay back and relax as you are enveloped in the sounds and frequencies created by crystal singing bowls, gong, chimes, and other instruments.
Sound baths may help reduce pain, anxiety, muscle tension, blood pressure and heart rate, among other benefits. It is the perfect wellness complement to your yoga practice, and a wonderful opportunity to bring your intentions for 2025 back into focus after the hectic first weeks of January. No previous experience is required to attend. But space at this popular event often sells out. So make sure to reserve your spot early. Once purchased, your ticket is non-refundable. 5KY all-access members (including intro offer passes) get $15 off!  Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash Great things are done when men and mountains meet. - William Blake This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutras Book Three: Vibhuti Pada Now we come to Book Three of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. From hereon, Patanjali tries to explain both the process and fulfillment of meditation, which he calls samyama (the three-step process of concentration, meditation and enlightenment that BKS Iyengar describes as “the art of integration” (175)) and the benefits that one achieves through the eight-limbed path of Raja Yoga and specifically, the culminating three steps of that path.
However, because the last steps in Raja Yoga go beyond the mind, it is difficult for anyone (even a yoga master) to describe what happens in words.  January 5th-11th It's that time of year again. Big resolutions and not so much follow through. Every year, the same desire to feel healthier, calmer, and happier. And every year, those desires go unfulfilled. Instead of trying the same old tricks that have let you down in the past, what if you committed to yourself for just one week? No resolutions, no disappointment, just one week to reset yourself and redirect yourself toward your own best path. We promise you will see a difference in just seven days. A daily yoga practice anchors us and frees us from habits that served us in the past but are no longer needed in our lives now. By setting a new healthy habit, letting go of habits that aren’t as healthy will happen gradually and naturally - feeling better the longer you practice. Connect with our supportive community that will keep you inspired and motivated throughout the year, ensuring you start and end 2025 with mindfulness and balance To kick start your journey to (or back to) yoga this year, we are pleased to offer folks new to 5KY a weeklong trial of our all-access pass for just $15.
Our all-access passes offer unlimited classes in the studio, live streaming and on-demand, so a daily practice is within reach! Pass is only available for students brand new to 5KY. |
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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAYFive Keys is fantastic! The studio is lovely and soothing, and the teachers are very caring and attentive. |
I've ... probably been to 25 different yoga studios. This is one of the most welcoming, calming spaces with very talented instructors. |
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Five Keys Yoga, LLC ∙ 1818 W. Belmont Ave. ∙ Chicago, IL 60657 ∙ (773) 857-1763 ∙ [email protected]