Fit-Pic: Yoga at Oak Street Beach

Ah summer in Chicago. Warm days and nights, clear skies, refreshing breezes, a cooling lake that's not as frigid as it usually is. And then there are the activities that happen on said lakefront at any given time. Running, cycling, inline skating, beach volleyball, swimming (OK, so that's in the water), or as tonight would have it: yoga.

Oak Street Beach, technically the Levy Restaurants' food and drink outpost any Chicagoan would recognize at the south end of that beach, was the site of this semi-sweaty session--I broke into a sweat though I don't know if everyone did--of sun salutations, stretches and asanas led by Equinox instructor Stacy Levy Mann. What's not to love about staring at Lake Michigan and having the city's skyscrapers rising up behind you while working out? I loved it-- and I can't wait to get back next week.

Surf, Sand and Yoga

How's that for a workout view?

Running on the sand feels about 10 times harder than it does on the pavement or trail. A beach boot camp seems about 10 times more difficult than it does at the gym—maybe it was all the sprinting? I can only imagine that doing yoga on the beach would be more challenging, in a good way, than it is in the studio—even if it’s a heated room and I’m dripping sweat all over my mat. You have the sand’s uneven surface that even a yoga mat can’t completely flatten out to challenge your balance. You have the sun radiating its summer heat to challenge your temperature acclimation. You have the wind’s cool breezes and the city’s humidity to mess with your body’s cooling system. You have the yoga itself to challenge your mind-body connection and any uber-tight muscles.

There will be plenty of yogis taking their practice to Chicago’s Oak Street Beach this month. Every Tuesday (except for July 2), Equinox is bringing yoga to the beach for ‘Find Your Chi,” a four-week series of exclusive yoga classes. These sweat sessions happen from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at Oak Street Beach Food + Drink (1001 North Lake Shore Drive), the city’s go-to beach bar that’s just steps from Lake Michigan, and are led by Equinox instructor Stacy Levy Mann.