As New Year's resolution-makers start looking for ways to meet their fitness goals, gyms and diet groups are likely to face a wave of new faces in the coming days.
A less obvious choice for wellness goals — especially among some of the older-than-50 crowd — might be Kankakee's new Align Yoga and Healing Arts opening at the recently rehabbed Telephone Building at 356 E. Merchant St.
Healthy lifestyle advocate Crystal Gray owns the new venture, but she's surrounded herself with an array of specialists, from Stella Bear vegetarian food and Kathleen Wright, a 50-plus yoga instructor. In fact, Wright was a student of yoga long before she ever found an instructor of yoga.
It all began when she was a teenager, living on a farm in western Minnesota. She isn't sure how she discovered the concepts of yoga, but she does recall reading a biography of Mahatma Gandhi. She said it helped shape her nonviolent stance and might have played a role in her passion for yoga.
Today, Wright is a 20-year resident of Iroquois County, a vegetarian, a devoted gardener and a pretty fair Salsa dancer. And, of course, the interest in yoga still is there. She's a certified yoga instructor, ready to share her talents.
"In my mind, yoga saved my life," she said. "I was in a bad car accident and six months healing. When I could finally get out of bed, I tried acupuncture and other alternative healing methods. As soon as I could, I got back to yoga. It saved me physically and mentally."
Wright began teaching in 1976. She did advanced studies in San Francisco and now is one of the rare Illinois instructors who also is certified in a form of yoga known as Iyengar.
Away from the studio, Wright still holds on to that image of the little girl who didn't exactly fit in.
• She has worked in hospital kitchens and served as one of the first women in a carpentry apprenticeship in Minnesota.
• She enjoys Salsa and Merengue dancing but not to the exclusion of an appreciation for classical music and opera.
• Her favorite vacation destination might be Mexico, but her travels have taken her across the globe, most notably to India, the acknowledged birthplace of yoga.
While the yoga stereotype offers a vision of 20- and 30-somethings in Spandex, Wright plans to offer a class for students in their 50s. She also is certified in a form of yoga that focuses on strengthening the lower back, eliminating the lower back pain many older students face.
Wright is married to Jeffery Kirsch. "We don't have children, but I have lots of yoga students instead," she said.
"I remember in grade school about the only careers they talked about for girls was teaching or nursing, or maybe staying home and being a mother. So I guess I never dreamed of this," she said. "Now, my goal isn't so much a career thing. I just want to live a long, healthy life."
She's eager to share her techniques for doing that. For additional information or to sign up for upcoming classes on Align Yoga, visit the center's website at alignyogaandhealingarts.com[1] .
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