“Yoga can be traced back to 5,000 years ago and is a Sanskrit word meaning to join, or yoke; union. Its’ full meaning is about the union of body, mind and spirit. It also is about the ending of the chatter of the mind, so that the mind can experience stillness, thus a meditative mind can be nurtured.”  - CorePower Yoga Website

I don’t know about you all, but I’m on a budget, and lately I’ve been looking for ways to change up my usual routine of running and working out at the gym. One of the best ways to change things up is to take a great class. From Zumba to Spinning to Cardio Kickboxing, these are all great ways to get away from the norm and incorporate some fun into being fit. I’ve recently discovered there’s free fitness everywhere and I want to share it with you! So, I’m starting a series called “Fit For Free” and this is the first edition. Essentially, I’ll be all around Chicago “gym hoppin” looking for fun, free fitness to try out and share with you. Since I live in Chicago, most of what I review may be based here in the city and in the suburbs, but I’m very sure these free classes can be found around the country.
If any of you find free fitness in your area and want to let me know, please do! Share the love!

So… the first edition of Fit for Free features an awesome company called CorePower Yoga. And let me tell you, they are THE NICEST yogis and instructors I’ve ever run into. CorePower Yoga features yoga in a heated room. I’d taken a few ”regular” yoga classes before, and only one hot yoga (Bikram) class before checking out CorePower Yoga, so I had only a slight idea of what I was getting into.

For first time students, you get a free week! (Just walk in and say, I want a free week. It’s that easy.) Yep! 7 whole days to try out all the different styles of classes they offer through the week. There are so many choices, it was hard to choose how I’d utilize my 7 days. After asking one of the instructors what she’d recommend for someone like me, she mentioned a class called “Hot Power Fusion”. It…was…so…awesome! Here’s the class description: “beginner-friendly, all levels; a combination of Power Vinyasa yoga and the 26 static postures of the traditional Hot Yoga class; 97 degrees with humidity, 60 minutes.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, it was awesome but definitely a challenge. Even my eyeballs were sweating. But afterward, I felt challenged, stretched, and relaxed. I did find myself slipping and sliding a little, but that was probably because I’d showered and put on baby oil before class. Not a good idea.

This is the pigeon pose I'd had trouble with.

During my free week, I also tried the CorePower Yoga 1 class for beginners. The room wasn’t as hot as the “Hot Power Fusion” class and the moves weren’t as tough. But, I still felt challenged and very relaxed and centered after class. The instructors at CorePower were attentive, courteous, knowledgeable and very helpful. I have a slight hip flexor injury and was having quite a bit of pain trying to conquer the pigeon pose during the Hot Power Fusion class. Noticing that I was wincing and very wobbly, the instructor came over and whispered to me that I could adjust by either sitting on a yoga block, or doing a different pose. I chose the block and felt much better. I was grateful that she noticed I was having trouble and offered to help me better my yoga experience.

CorePower Yoga is actually a national yoga studio that can be found around the country. Click here for all of the locations and prices for membership if you choose to become a regular student. They’ve got prices for every budget. If you’ve never tried yoga before or you’re looking to get into something different, I’d totally recommend CorePower Yoga. Especially because of the free week. Free fitness? Why not!?

Have you ever tried hot yoga before? Was your experience?

Be Renewed