Chaturanga Fitness Studio

I joined the Chaturanga family two years ago as a Pilates Teacher Apprentice and since then I have been revitalized through the study of Pilates. In the past 5 years, as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with babies to seniors to achieve each individual’s optimal level of function. Personally, since the birth of my daughter, I’ve had a strong desire to work with pregnant and post-natal women as they navigate through the physical transformation of child bearing. It is both my absolute pleasure and a privilege to teach at Chaturanga Holistic Fitness. Come, lets take class, and be well!

As a life-long health and fitness enthusiast, A.J. is passionate about utilizing her knowledge of the human body and the economy of movement to offer dynamic and intelligent fitness plans. Having developed efficiencies in choreographing for diverse populations, she infuses her passion and energy into every session, motivating and inspiring clients to reach their ultimate fitness goals. Certified by the renowned Physical Mind Institute in TheMethod® Pilates and backed by nearly a decade of active Pilates experience (Mat-work, Reformer, Chair, Barrel...), she offers fitness systems suitable for functional and rehabilitative training pursuits.

Carrie was introduced to Pilates after unresolved chronic pain. She has been doing and studying Pilates for over fifteen years in New York, Los Angeles and DC. Her teaching technique focuses on kinesiology with a dose of levity to Chaturanga. Her passion for health and wellness is a great fit for the studio and the practice.

At age 16, Erika was able to participate in her high school's After School dance program, with instructor Marshall Lindsay, and discovered her love of dance!

She decided to take things further by taking classes at that same instructors school of dance and charm, but could not afford tuition. That same instructor allowed her to teach her own original choreography to offset the costs for tuition, and so her love of teaching began! That experience lead Erika to audition and secure a partial scholarship in the “chance to dance” program at Joseph Holmes dance theater in Chicago Illinois.

Erika minored in dance choreography at Western Illinois University while simultaneously performing with the university's Western wranglers dance line and acting as co-choreographer for the Gwendolyn Brooks cultural center dance troupe.

After college Erika taught numerous dance programs with the Chicago Park District and dance/fitness classes for all ages at the Southside YMCA.

Erika is currently a Cardio Strength/Silver Sneakers instructor and enthusiastic sub, at Chaturanga Fitness studio and certified Zin Zumba instructor at Skyy Level Group fitness in Chicago.

Aside from fitness, Erika works as an independent contractor commercial print model, hairstylists, crochet artist and nutrition assistant for her holistic health coach sister, Monika Simmons.

Pictured here with her daughter, Jen is an educator by profession and an athlete by heart, so working as an instructor at Chaturanga provides a perfect opportunity to develop the next chapter of her life's work. She is a member of 2017 cohort of teacher training, and plans to graduate by end of the year. Her specialty is Pilates Equipment and Pilates for Runners. She is thrilled to be part of this learning community.

I’m proud to say I’m one of the oldest yoga teachers I know, and as such I consider it my duty — my sadhana, to use a favorite Sanskrit word — to continue teaching myself and others how to keep yoga in our lives forever. Years of intense play: sports, dance, horseback riding, skiing and triathlons — not to mention parenting — have kept me fit, but life takes its toll no matter how hard you work at defying the aging process. My firm belief, however, is that if there is a fountain of youth, it’s yoga. I’ve taught for over a decade now, and have seen how yoga is truly limitless in its ability to keep us in compassionate touch with our body-mind-spirit selves. I did my initial training with Ana Forrest, then Daren Friesen, and many other master teachers including Shiva Rae, Tias Little, and Aadil Palkhivala. At this point my style is so eclectic I hesitate to label myself, but the closest would be vinyasa flow. Core strength, reverence for the breath, respecting one’s natural range of motion, and always seeking for the sense of flow are essential to my style. I love language and music, to which ends I incorporate chanting, Sanskrit and poetry into most classes. Being a psychotherapist as well, I value the addition of yoga to my healer’s toolkit, and try to foster a sense of community — the kula, or community of the heart. I credit my students, my patients, my husband and son with much of my inspiration. The rest comes from Yoga!

Paul Baker is a longtime resident of Hyde Park. He has been part of the Chicago community of Samatha practitioners since its beginning in 2003. Paul is certified to teach by the teachers of the UK Samatha Trust, and assists in the organization and teaching of other Samatha practice events throughout the year in Hyde Park

Kate fell in love with Pilates many years ago while searching for a sustainable physical practice that would enhance the quality of her life. An actor by trade and training for some 30 + years, movement has always been a critical component of her life and work. Finding body-mind-spirit connections is an integral part of her work, and she is always seeking to enhance those connections, gaining greater flexibility, agility, balance and strength! This is the basis of her practice and teaching. She is delighted to be a member of Marylee Bussard’s inaugural Pilates Teacher’s Training Program.

Keom has been practicing yoga for over two decades, and has been teaching for eleven years. He was certified at Yogaview and YogaState, and has experience in Viniyaga, Anusara, Iyengar, Tantra Hatha and Ashtanga. Erich Schiffmann, who teaches Freedom Style Yoga, is a strong influence for Keom. Keom also has several years experience with Vipassana Meditation and is a certified Thai Body Worker. Keom is also currently a trainee in Chaturanga's pilates teacher training.

Marcy has lived in Hyde Park for over 30 years during which time she and her husband raised their four daughters, and she started her own garden consulting business. Marcy came to Pilates after an illness that greatly impacted her fitness and metabolism. She is certified in Pilates Mat and Equipment through Power Pilates and Bally’s Fitness. Marcy’s classes are based in the classical system, but include many other influences from her experiences in teaching and continuing education. She emphasizes proper positioning and accessing the correct muscles systems while achieving a flow through the classical sequence of exercises. Her goal is to bring the benefits of the Pilates system that restored her health and fitness to all of her clients.

Sarah came to Pilates after a back injury several years ago which seriously impacted her ability to exercise. Pilates Therapy at Chaturanga offered a gentle introduction to the Pilates practice and philosophy which started Sarah on her journey to becoming a Pilates Method Alliance NCPT (National Certified Pilates Teacher) through the Chaturanga Teacher Training program. During her training, Sarah became curious about Pilates for Osteoporosis and was inspired to take further training at Basi Pilates in California to understand how Pilates can help bone strength, and to ensure that her Pilates Therapy and Osteo Strength classes adhere to bone safe principles for those with the condition. Through Pilates, Sarah hopes to help others improve their core stability, overcome their injuries and become stronger and more flexible humans, so they can be at their best and live life to the fullest!

I awakened to the transformational possibility of yoga the first time I stepped onto a mat. Seeking relief from a demanding job and relentless schedule, I tried yoga as a means to manage stress and achieve a better work-life balance. After practicing only occasionally for the first few years, I eventually cultivated a home practice to complement classes in the studio. Wanting to deepen my practice and learn more of the history and philosophy of yoga, I quit my job in 2011 and moved to Massachusetts to live as a volunteer-in-residence at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. There, I was able to study yoga full-time with many of today’s masters.
When I returned to Chicago, I completed my 200-hour then my 500-hour teacher trainings at Moksha Yoga. Over the years, I have continued to expand my practice and training with certificates in Kids Yoga, Chair Yoga, Pre-Natal Yoga, and courses/workshops in Ayurveda, Sanskrit, and Trauma Informed Yoga.
I have been privileged to study with a wide array of teachers, but have been most inspired by Rolf Gates, Mira Binzen, Rich Logan, Cynthia Latimer, Hala Khouri, and Sean Corn. My classes are influenced by Iyengar, Kripalu, hatha, and vinyasa styles of yoga.
My intention is that students leave class feeling rejuvenated and centered, and that, over time, they will be grounded in the knowledge that they are free to explore their personal path to wholeness and fulfillment, and understand that 99% of yoga happens off the mat.

I began my Pilates journey in 2000, on the recommendation of a physical therapist. In my case, it was hyper-mobility, a condition of being too flexible, which led to my injuries. Pilates showed me the importance of balancing flexibility and muscular strength and I became certified to teach in 2004. Since that time, I have observed hundreds of bodies over thousands of Pilates sessions. I am graduate of the Soma Institute of Clinical Massage Therapy in Chicago, and in 2013 I became certified in KMI Structural Integration (www.anatomytrains.com). My passion is working with physical therapists and chiropractors to coordinate exercise and massage regimens that help clients achieve sustained results. In my Pilates sessions, body and mind unite on a journey of self-discovery. Through focused observation of your body in motion, you will build postural strength and balance and experience a renewed enjoyment of vital movement both on the mat and in your every day life.

Margaret is dedicated to optimizing alignment between the body, mind and spirit. The modalities she incorporates into include yoga (Iyengar, C-yoga, Anusara, Ashtanga, and Sivananda influences), Pilates, biomechanics and energy work from modern and release based dance techniques, Contact Improvisation fundamentals, Reiki and Shiatsu. She is available for private sessions. If you have questions contact her at admin@quantumwellness.love

Terry was introduced to Pilates about 18 years ago out of a personal desire to enhance his skills as a martial arts practitioner and teacher. You might say that he fell hook, line and sinker for Pilate’s reputation for being a fitness activity that helps people be better at doing other things in their life. As a result of his introduction to Pilates, Terry became very fond of Pilates training, especially, the classical mat sequence of exercises. He believes that Pilates training is a total mind/body experience that benefits the whole person in many ways. His current interest in Pilates and fitness as a whole is driven by his belief that as human beings, we need move our bodies regularly to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In addition to now being a member of Chaturanga’s Pilates teaching team, Terry is also a certified Kettlebell trainer, Les Mills Body Pump Instructor, former ACE Certified Personal Trainer and a master instructor of traditional Okinawan Karate. Terry has also had a successful corporate career in banking and finance.

I was born and raised in Hyde Park, a community where mind dominates body. My husband and I have raised three children here. I have been a freelance writer over the past 30 years and a yoga student for the past fifteen. I completed yoga teacher training at the Temple of Kriya in June, 2010. I discovered yoga, as so many do, after suffering an injury. It was the subtle parts of the practice that captivated me—“inhale, lift the sternum; exhale, soften the back.” The grosser parts—“inhale, lift the legs; exhale, place the feet on the floor over the head”—tended to repel me, and that has increased over the years because I’m aging at a faster pace than I am mastering yoga poses. The happiest yoga for me is slow and subtle, so that’s the yoga I teach. Slowing down the practice gives the body time to teach the mind. Usually we listen to our bodies only when they’re complaining, but when we do a little yoga, our bodies show us equipment we didn’t even know we had. Whether we are old, young, brittle, or callow we have treasures inside that, if we can activate them, will make us feel freer. Yoga activates our insides to give us a little breathing room. The teachers who have illuminated this principle for me are UnSoo Kim, Sue Rexford, Cynthia Latimer, and Mary Samano. Believing, as I do, that yoga is for everyone, I teach yoga from the bottom up, one pose at a time, often one piece of a pose at a time. In class we set up the foundation for a pose first, then we align the joints and stack the bones, and finally, we move into the pose. We hold the pose until our form or breath becomes compromised. Depending on the student, the poses can be held for one breath or ten or more breaths. This means we don't move quickly from one pose to another. While we hold the pose we explore what's going on inside the body, for instance, how the placement of the feet can release tension in the lower back or how the grounding of the shoulders frees the neck. The complexity of the body and the poses are a continuing source of information for all students. My goal for students is to enjoy the class while they're there; to be able to use what they have (body, mind, and breath); to ground and decompress through movement, breath, and rest. If a student should become more flexible, or stronger, after a few classes, that's icing on the cake.

Leslie was born and raised in Hyde Park, and no matter where she's roamed, has always felt called back to her home neighborhood. After working in corporate America as a project manager for over 15 years, Leslie knew she wanted to spend her time doing something more fulfilling. In May 2015, she took a leap of faith and left corporate life behind. Opening up to Universal guidance, she was led to the Chaturanga Fitness Pilates Teacher Training program. This was a perfect fit for Leslie as fitness, tied into the mind-body-soul connection — so central to her personal life — could now be applied in her daily working life as well. Being deemed a “natural" by the Pilates Program Head, as well as by long time Chaturanga Pilates students, she has completed her Pilates Certification and has been teaching Pilates equipment and mat classes ever since, in addition to Pilates Private, Duet and Trio sessions.