WICKER PARK — In light of the city’s recent shift to Tier 1 coronavirus mitigations, a decision that impacts everything from indoor dining to casinos, a yoga class viewed the loosening of gym restrictions with particular relief, as they’d been frozen posing in Warrior Two in Wicker Park since November.
“It’s a great pose,” said yoga instructor Carla Vasquez, 33, from behind a thin layer of ice as she thawed out in her newly accessible gym’s sauna. “I think the whole Warrior series is a wonderful way to get in touch with your whole body and feel grounded and powerful. But after the first few days of being locked into the pose, I was ready to move on, or at least even it out on the other side.”
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The yoga class, which moved outside in April when adapting to the new pandemic gathering rules, has been popular among moms and young professionals in the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. “I had a good following before the pandemic hit, and I was delighted that so many of them followed me outside to the park,” Vasquez noted, trying to bend a steaming finger with the concentration of a cyborg learning to paint. “And during the summer, I ended up getting a fuller class than ever! People were really looking for communal experiences and a chance to get outside, and we’re so lucky to have this park just a few blocks from the gym.”
“I was a little surprised when classes continued into November,” said yoga devotee Ally Withers, 23, a longtime follower of Vasquez’s work in stretching. “But what else was I doing? Being frozen through the holidays ended up being a bit of a blessing in disguise. No hard conversations with family members necessary! I just got to hang out in a block of ice and watch a bunch of squirrels hunt their turkey dinner. Super relaxed and low-key, which is the best you can hope for during the holidays.”
Now that restrictions have lessened and the class has been chipped out of the frozen tundra, many are looking forward to taking a break from their yoga practices. “It’s cool that gyms are opening up again,” said Withers, massaging feeling into her long-engaged left quad, “But I think being frantic and stressed for a while might help me warm up.”
