BY LINDA BLASER lblaser@pioneerlocal.com September 4, 2013 5:24PM
Yoga teacher Sandi Rupprecht from Forever Om Yoga in Lake Forest adjusts poses during last year's free Yoga Under the Stars lesson. This year's event is Thursday, Sept. 12, on Market Square. | Submitted photo
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‘Yoga Under the Stars’
When: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 12
What: free all-age, all-level class in Market Square.
Sign up: foreveromyoga.com or call 847-482-9642.
Bring: yoga mat or towel.
Updated: September 5, 2013 2:50AM
Yoga is all about karma and community.
Cilla Stoll hopes to create some good karma in her community through the second annual Yoga Under the Stars from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, in Market Square.
“(The) whole philosophy behind yoga is to bring people together for no other reason than to be a community,” the owner of Forever Om Yoga, located at 1407 N. Western Ave., Lake Forest.
In yoga, karma is “just doing good things with no expectation,” she said.
With that in mind, Stoll joined with Kiddles Sports, located at 258 Market Square, overlooking the green, to the first free open-air class.
“It just transcends business,” Kiddles owner Jay Shlifka said of the free community event, where his 45-year Market Square store will offer free water bottles to participants.
“It’s about doing the right thing, the nice thing. That’s the absolute best value we can give to our friends in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff,” he added.
With the same mind-set, the two paired up again this year, since last year’s trial run was such a success.
“We had students, moms, dads, children. It was just great,” Stoll said.
She wasn’t so sure what to expect last year as only 16 people signed up online by the day of the event. But she was pleasantly surprised: 70 showed up, yoga mats in hand and wearing comfortable clothes, to participate in what some might consider a big group hug in the heart of the Lake Forest community — the Market Square green.
“It brought a tear to my eye. It was really moving,” Shlifka said, and that’s a big endorsement from a runner and cyclist who used to consider yoga less than a sport.
“Yoga is so important. I’m in my 60s and realize now yoga is just a very important thing to add to our everyday stretching regimen,” he said.
The event is open to anyone of any age and experience level, even first-timers.
“Anyone who feels like coming should come. It’s an all-level class, so you don’t have to have any yoga experience,” Stoll said.
Like last year, this year’s yoga will be team-taught “so the energy level is high and really fun,” Stoll said.
As the studio owner, she’ll start the big group class and go through the first poses.
“Then another teacher hops in and teaches, then another hops in,” she said. “It’s just kind of go-with-the-flow. We don’t have anything choreographed. We call it ‘intuitive teaching.’”
The community class will begin at nearly sundown so that “by the time we finish, it’s really yoga under the stars,” Stoll said. “It’s just beautiful.”
Experienced yogis and those who’ve always wanted to try yoga, which “sometimes can be daunting, I think,” should grab a towel, if they don’t have a yoga mat, and head uptown.
Based on last year’s class, some participants broke off into groups and went for coffee or dinner, while others mingled with new acquaintances and old friends.
“Everything seemed to work out fine” last year, Stoll said.
She hopes the good karma holds for this year and keeps the rain at bay. Should the weather not comply, a rain date will be set.
For more information, go to foreveromyoga.com or call 847-482-9642.
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