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Glencoe woman reaching for a new career
Warm yoga clases take place at Reach Yoga, where the room is heated to 85 degrees. | Jackie Pilossoph~Sun-Times Media
Reach Yoga
688 Vernon Ave., Glencoe
847-786-4211
www.reachyogaglencoe.com
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Updated: December 18, 2012 12:18PM
GLENCOE — Owning a yoga studio wasn’t something for which Dani Petrie planned.
A successful consultant in management training and development, the Glencoe mother of two was happy in her career. Then one day last year, when Petrie walked into the beautiful yoga studio where she took classes, there was a sign up that read, “closing in one month.”
The sign was a sign, she said.
“It unexpectedly hit me in the heart, and I didn’t realize how attached I’d become to this place,” said Petrie, who has a B.S. in public and international affairs, and a master’s degree in instructional technology. “I was doing so well at my job, and so buying the place didn’t make any logical sense.”
In the end, however, Petrie decided to listen to her heart instead of her head. She bought the business in August, and renamed it Reach Yoga.
“I haven’t had a moment’s regret,” she said. “But, in the first couple months, I worked more hours than I’d ever worked in my life.”
Petrie said there was so much transitional work involved, including building a new website, learning the operations of the business, updating the schedule and talking to the instructors about continuing to teach there.
Lauri Stern is an instructor who teaches four classes at the studio, and said an important part of her job is to impart the magic of yoga, in other words tell her students why they’re doing the poses they’re doing.
“It becomes more mindful,” said Stern, who was a personal trainer and aerobics instructor for 25 years before trying yoga 10 years ago. “There’s breath work, mental work, and physical work, and when we bring the mindfulness to the practice, it connects you to yourself and to the world.”
Stern said her favorite pose is the pigeon pose, because it allows the hips to open and release anger, stress, and sadness.
Reach Yoga offers several different types of yoga classes for all levels, including Vinyasa, hatha, flow, and Pilates. Some of the classes have warm yoga, where the room is heated to 85 degrees.
Brigita Dimants takes four classes per week at the studio, and said she feels like she’s getting pushed every time, and that it’s helped her become better at practicing yoga.
“I’m such a better person at home,” said Dimants, who lives in Glencoe with her husband and two teenagers. “I completely see a difference in my reaction to everything. I’m a nicer person.”
“It’s changed my life and my perspective on so many things,” said Ilene Sang, of Glencoe. “I’m healthier, much more fit, and mentally healthier. I’m glad I found it in my life. It’s a gift.”
Petrie said she takes four to five classes per week, and that it’s part of her job to know what every class is like so she can recommend the right classes to people who inquire.
“I feel fortunate that it’s part of the job,” she said. “It makes me so happy.”
A class at Reach Yoga costs $20, or $15 for seniors and students. Packages are available that make it less expensive, including 10 classes for $160, unlimited classes for $97 per month, and for new students, $29 for two weeks of unlimited classes.
“You’re using your own body weight to move your body. It really changes things,” said Stern.
“People walk in here and they’re tense and they have concern and anxiety,” said Petrie. “Life is complicated and they go into class and they walk out with loose limbs and a peaceful mindset and I feel like it creates ripples of good will through the universe because they walk out and spread their serenity.”
